News reports say that the Spanish training tall ship Juan Sebastian Elcano was being used for trafficking cocaine. Three crewmembers have been arrested for attempting to smuggle 127kg (280lbs) of the drug. The Spanish authorities were notified after New York City authorities arrested two Colombians suspected of obtaining 20kg of cocaine from the sailors during a May 2014 visit.
On Wednesday, 7 August Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that the drugs were found on 2 August and had been stored where the spare sails were kept.
The newspaper says the authorities suspect the drugs were loaded in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) when the ship stopped there from 14-19 April 2014. Three crewmembers were subsequently arrested in Galicia for allegedly selling drugs when the ship called on a port in New York (10-15 May). The ship’s previous stop was in Santo Domingo from 24-28 April.
The ship was subject to an extensive search when it docked in La Carraca (Cadiz) where the drugs were found.
Read more in Spanish:
http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/08/06/media/1407358009_877482.html
http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/08/06/inenglish/1407331088_841277.html