New cocaine trafficking methods: From stockpiling drugs until prices rise to using offshore drop-offs

After two years of record seizures — including the historic bust of 13 tons hidden in a container in the Port of Algeciras in the Spanish province of Cádiz — drug trafficking networks are trying to evade police pressure with new methods to smuggle the drug or are turning to alternative tactics, such as stockpiling until prices rise. These trends include leaving cocaine floating at sea, marked with buoys for narco-boats to pick up — a method known as “drop-off” — or using narco-submarines capable of transporting large quantities.

Recent police operations, like the dismantling of a network in Spain’s Canary Islands that used 11 speedboats to transport cocaine from South America to the islands and then distribute it across Europe and parts of Africa, or the bust of a shipyard in Brazil that was building semi-submersibles bound for Spain, illustrate these evolving tactics.

“It’s the balloon effect — if you apply pressure in one place, the air moves elsewhere. That’s what’s happening,” summarizes Commissioner Alberto Morales, head of the Central Narcotics Brigade of the Spanish National Police. Cocaine can enter Spain through many methods: cargo ships, fishing vessels, merchant ships, sailboats, containers. Routes shift depending on which offers the greatest profits and least risk. “Container seizures have dropped significantly, but we must keep in mind that it never falls to zero. In the end, criminal networks go wherever it’s easiest,” adds the chief inspector in charge of the cocaine section of the same brigade, who requested anonymity.

The interview takes place on Tuesday at the Canillas police complex in Madrid, headquarters of the General Commissariat of Judicial Police. Both the commissioner and chief inspector speak quickly. In the background, the noise from the swearing-in ceremony of the latest class of sub-inspectors occasionally competes with voice messages the commissioner receives and replies to on the spot, as well as the phone calls and in-person queries he handles.

Their work, in addition to having no fixed hours and requiring strong personal commitment, is never-ending. “This never stops; when one operation is over, you have to move on to the next,” says the chief inspector. “But it’s about ensuring that everything that comes with organized crime — the conflicts, the turf wars, the violence, the flow of weapons — doesn’t reach society,” they add.

“You can never say you’re not going to see something, because you do,” the chief inspector continues. In the past, drug traffickers didn’t carry weapons; now they do. The new generations are more impatient and unpredictable. They’ve grown up with encrypted platforms — messaging systems used by traffickers that are extremely difficult to decode because there are no real names, only aliases — and they also move money using cryptocurrencies. “Before, when you told them you were the police, they’d relax [because that meant they weren’t about to be robbed by a rival gang or targeted in a score-settling hit], but not anymore,” says the inspector.

Operation Black Shadow, which led to the dismantling in early June of a “powerful network” that was smuggling cocaine into Spain’s Canary Islands using the same methods as the traffickers in the Strait of Gibraltar — who traditionally dealt in hashish — illustrates these new tactics. The group used an abandoned, semi-sunken boat off the coast of Lanzarote to refuel.

“Narcolanchas [go-fast boats used by traffickers] used to go out 20 miles to collect shipments — now they go as far as 500. They can stay at sea for a month, relying on petaqueo — other vessels delivering them fuel,” explains the head of the cocaine unit. “They’re constantly adjusting their routes, even making long detours, to avoid detection.”

Pressure on the Guadalquivir River has also forced drug traffickers to try other routes, such as the Guadiana River, where on May 20 the organization of a Huelva-based kingpin known as Teddy was busted about 250 miles offshore. The trafficker evaded the operation and fled to Dubai, the city-emirate in the Persian Gulf that in recent years has become a refuge for the leaders of criminal groups.

Investigators say there has been a significant increase in semi-submersibles. “They have proliferated a lot,” says Commissioner Morales. According to his estimates, since the first reports of these vessels — also called “low-profile vessels” (LPVs) — they have become aware of “eight or nine” of them.

It is practically impossible to detect them while they are navigating, as they barely rise above the water. Highly technologically advanced, they require large investments of around €600,000 ($697,000). The groups build several at a time, often in jungle or riverine areas. One of the most recent found in the Spanish region of Galicia, in January, had the capacity to transport about three tons, according to police estimates.

The investigations carried out by Spain’s Central Drug and Organized Crime Unit (Udyco), which includes the narcotics brigade, aim to “push the line forward” — to go to the very source of drug trafficking. This was the goal of Operation Lupus, a joint operation involving four countries, in which the Spanish National Police participated, that uncovered a clandestine narco-submarine shipyard at the mouth of the Amazon River. “If we shut down the shipyard, we cut off a supply route,” explains the chief inspector. “They won’t stop building them, but they won’t do it at that location anymore.” International cooperation is helping to achieve their goals. “It’s working spectacularly well,” say the commissioner and chief inspector. The two also highlight the strong involvement of the Anti-Drug Prosecutor’s Office.

The agents’ objective is to conduct “higher quality,” “comprehensive,” and “high-impact” investigations. After a record-breaking 2023, with 123 tons of cocaine seized, and 2024, where over 100 tons have were intercepted, they are confident that the number of seizures will decrease in 2025, precisely because criminal groups will need time to regroup. “We are not in a worse situation than last year; we are better. If it stops coming in, it means we are cutting them off,” says the inspector.

Playing the market

In the current context, where there is a huge cocaine production and its price has dropped from €20,000 ($23,000) per kilo to €14,000 ($16,000), authorities have detected that some traffickers are storing the drugs to sell later when prices rise, acting almost like companies. It is estimated that there could be around 70 tons of cocaine waiting for their moment in African countries. Some countries on this continent, where drug trafficking once seemed unthinkable, are now witnessing this due to wars, corruption, or weakened security.

Although Europe remains the main destination market for cocaine, trafficking networks are seeking new niches. Considering cost-benefit factors, investigators note emerging markets such as Australia, where prices can reach up to €60,000 ($69,700) per kilo, and Asia. “You can find containers in [South] Korea, which is something that wasn’t even remotely seen before. If there is demand, they will find a way to get it in,” say the agents.

Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands accounted for 72% of the cocaine seized in the European Union in 2023, but preliminary 2024 data — still unofficial — suggests the situation is shifting. The latest report from the EU Drug Agency indicates that other entry countries are being used, such as Germany (43 tons), France (23 tons), and Portugal (22 tons). In early 2024, the EU launched the Port Alliance to enhance security in these critical infrastructures.

“Drugs continue to enter the traditional ports [Barcelona, Algeciras, and Valencia],” insists Commissioner Morales. These are the Spanish ports where the most drugs are seized, but investigators are also keeping an eye on the ports of Vigo and Málaga, which are considered “emerging.”

The case of the 13 tons of cocaine seized in Algeciras last October is a sign of this change. The organization sending it was so confident the shipment would succeed that they left barely any space for the bananas that were supposed to cover the drugs. “It was all cocaine. There were three or four bananas,” explains a source familiar with the case.

This investigation, which later led to the arrest of a chief inspector from the same police force who had €20 million ($23 million) hidden in his home, helped dismantle a major organization directed from Dubai that provided them with “a secure drug entry route” which is no longer available. “After all, our job is to disrupt them,” concludes the chief inspector.

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