US, Europol, Dutch Police Join Spain to Probe Drug Ship Seized by Spanish Navy on Friday, May 1; Big Trouble for Bio, Others
Quick Summary
The United States, the European Police, Europol, Dutch Police have answered to the call by the Spanish to join the investigations of the drug ship seized.
Latest information has confirmed that the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has entered the race to investigate the circumstances leading to the interception of 40,000 kilogrammes (40 tons) of cocaine seized by the Spanish Navy. (Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska).
It was the Spanish government that invited the USA, Europol, and the Dutch Police to assist in investigating the drug seizure that is reported to have originated from the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, en route to Libya and ending up in European waters.
Back home in Sierra Leone, when news broke out about the interception of the 40 tons of cocaine, Sierra Leoneans, especially those whose 2023 votes were publicly stolen by the illegal President Julius Maada Bio, expressed delight that the Bios have finally reached their waterloo.
During yesterday’s press conference, the Spanish Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, announced Operation Abisal, in which he officially linked the Dutch Moroccan Mocro Maffia syndicate to Maada Bio’s son-in-law, Joseph Johannes Leijdekker, aka Bolle Jos. (Photo: Press conference yesterday).

The Spanish Interior Minister Grande-Marlaska confirmed it was a record-breaking seizure with figures totalling 30,215 kg of cocaine (over 30 metric tons), numbering 1,279 bales with a street value of 812.2 million euros.
Maada Bio, his SLPP caboodle, in collaboration with the APC traitors, is in serious trouble for the seized ship because the Spanish Minister described and ranked the catch as the largest single cocaine seizure in European and probably global history.
The Minister said around 43,000 litres of gasoline (to refuel speedboats) were found on board the ship. He said a hidden arsenal of automatic machine guns, tactical pistols, ammunition and armed guards of Dutch and Surinamese nationals were also found and nabbed.
In Sierra Leone, it was good news for the 2023 voters, but it was disastrous for the 2028 believers. Most citizens believe the delay in restoring democracy in Sierra Leone has its own consequences. i.e. the problems have spilt over to Europe, and the earlier the illegal Bio regime is ousted, the better for everyone. (Photos: Spanish Navy caught the drug ship with the Coast Guard).


That is why the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Dutch police, and Europol are working to bring the culprits to book. And Sierra Leone, where the cocaine shipment originated, will be central to the international investigations. Bio, SLPP and the APC are in trouble.
The Ship & Its Role
- Vessel name: MV Arconian (91 meters long)
- Flag: Comoros
- Role: Floating “mother ship” – designed to transfer cocaine to high‑speed boats for smuggling into Europe
- Origin of voyage: Departed Freetown, Sierra Leone, on April 22, 2026
- Interception date: May 1, 2026
- Location: International waters, approx. 430 nautical miles south of the Canary Islands (off Western Sahara)

Arrests & Nationalities
- Total arrested: 23 crew members
- All 23 were placed in pre‑trial detention (no bail)
- Nationalities:
- 17 from the Philippines
- 5 from the Netherlands
- 1 from Suriname
Who Was Behind It? – The Mocro Maffia (Bolle Jos’
- While the minister did not speak the name “Jos Leijdekkers” from the podium, all major media and investigative sources identify him as the suspected mastermind.
- Leijdekkers (“Bolle Jos”) is believed to be hiding in Sierra Leone, which has no extradition treaty with the Netherlands. He reportedly has ties to the president’s family there.

International Cooperation Highlighted
The minister stressed that this success was only possible because of close collaboration between:
Spanish Police & Guardia Civil
- Europol
- US DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)
- Dutch police
- UK, Portugal, and Italy (provided naval/air support)
Spain Seizes Record Amount of Cocaine in Atlantic Ocean, Authorities Say
By Ella Kipling, 4 May 2026
Spanish police have seized what is thought to be a national record haul of cocaine from a ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Between 30,000 and 45,000kg were found when the Civil Guard intercepted a freighter in international waters, the body’s main union, the AUGC, announced. It called the move a “historic blow to drug trafficking”. (Photos: Drug baron Bolle Jos and his father-in-law, Maada Bio).


The vessel was intercepted off Spain’s Canary Islands on Friday, and around 20 people were arrested, the AUGC told the AFP news agency. It had travelled from Sierra Leone and was on its way to Libya. The Civil Guard has declined to give details of the investigation for legal reasons. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters in Madrid that the seizure was “one of the biggest, not only nationally but internationally”.
The Civil Guard shared a photograph on X showing the drugs stuffed into the hold of the intercepted vessel. Today, history is being written in the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard. “Intercepted in international waters, the largest known seizure: between 30,000 and 45,000 kg of cocaine on board a freighter,” Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska noted.
While the boat was headed to Libya, AFP reported that the pattern of previous operations suggests that it was due to offload the drugs onto smaller vessels for distribution in Europe. In January, Spanish authorities made their biggest seizure of cocaine at sea from a ship that was carrying almost 10 tonnes. Courtesy: BBC News.
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