Spanish law enforcement seize up to 45 tonnes of cocaine off Morocco — The Guardian
On May 1, Spanish law enforcement intercepted the cargo vessel Arconian off the coast of Morocco. On board, they found 1,279 packages of cocaine weighing between 30 and 45 tonnes. According to The Guardian, the vessel departed from Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. The publication calls this the largest cocaine seizure in history.
During the operation, Spain's Civil Guard detained 23 crew members from the Philippines. Later, law enforcement officers discovered six armed men in the cargo hold. Lucas Fernandez, who took part in the operation, said the drugs were stored in a corridor about 60 metres long.
Information on links to a Dutch fugitive
The Guardian's investigation links the shipment to Dutchman Jos Leijdekkers, whom the publication calls one of Europe's most wanted drug traffickers. According to the newspaper, Leijdekkers is the son-in-law of Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio. In January 2025, the Netherlands sent Sierra Leone a request for his extradition. As the publication writes, Leijdekkers was sentenced in absentia to more than 100 years in prison, including for attempted murder, while Sierra Leonean authorities said at the time that they did not know this person.
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Sources for The Guardian in Western intelligence services claim that after the Arconian arrived at the port of Freetown on April 18, about 30 tonnes of cocaine may have been loaded onto the vessel over four days. Port chief Yankuba Bio rejected these claims, calling them unfounded, and said that the port does not handle or facilitate drug exports.
Disappearances in Freetown
In October 2025, nine people disappeared in Freetown, including 40-year-old shop owner Alan Jalloh and footballer Alusine “Bokai” Koroma. According to the investigation, sources in the police and intelligence services linked the disappearances to a conflict over a cocaine deal and mentioned Leijdekkers. Sierra Leone's police and military did not respond to The Guardian's requests regarding the investigation into the disappearances.
