Cocaine ship boarded on the high seas

Unloading at Cádiz

31 people arrested 50 miles out from Cádiz

CÁDIZ A ship believed to be carrying a large cargo of cocaine was boarded on Monday by units of the National Police's Grupo Especial de Operaciones (GEO), and is now moored at Cádiz, under heavy guard. Thirty-one people were arrested in the operation, most of whom allegedly belong to one of Spain's largest cartels. The ship, the SV Nikolay, belongs to a firm in the Bulgarian port of Burgas, Bulgaria's BTA news agency reports. She was headed for the coast of Galicia, and would presumably have acted there as a 'mother ship' while the cocaine was unloaded in smaller vessels, and eventually headed for Madrid. The arrested included Spaniards, Colombians and Bulgars. The ship was found to be carrying over three tonnes of cocaine, and the arrested appeared in court yesterday morning.