The Turkish Ministry of Interior reported that approximately 4 tons of cocaine were seized during an operation conducted on October 4, 2024, by security forces from Spain and France on the Tanzanian-flagged vessel named "RAS" near the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The operation resulted in the arrest of a total of 10 individuals, including 7 Turkish nationals, 2 Azerbaijanis, and 1 Dutch citizen.
Following the bust, the Turkish National Police's Narcotic Crimes Department promptly collaborated with the Spanish Narcotic Police, initiating a series of investigations.
Authorities traced the movements of the RAS vessel, which has been flying the Zanzibar-Tanzania flag since July 19, 2024. Notable details of the vessel's journey include:
- Departing from a mooring area off Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, on July 28, 2024, and making a brief stop in Casablanca, Morocco, on August 9-10 before transiting to Sierra Leone.
- Anchoring off the coast of Freetown, Sierra Leone, on August 21, where it remained for 20 days until September 11.
- Proceeding northward on September 11, the ship awaited port entry approval in the waters of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau between September 13 and 20, before docking in Bissau for 21 hours on September 21.
- After departing Bissau on September 22, the vessel indicated Alexandria, Egypt, as its next destination, with an estimated arrival date of October 15, 2024.
- Conducting slow maneuvers off the coast of Guinea-Bissau on September 23-24 and sailing in Mauritania's waters on September 26.
- Significantly reducing speed again in Mauritania on September 28-29.
The RAS was ultimately detained by Spanish and French security forces in waters northeast of the Canary Islands while en route to Alexandria, Egypt.
Regarding the analysis of the route, port, and speed information of the vessel named "RAS," it was stated that "the seized narcotics were likely transferred to the vessel from ghost ships, which do not transmit AIS signal data, originating from South America, while the ship was in the waters off Guinea or Mauritania. It is also assessed that the drugs were intended for delivery to European countries."