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Trawler removed from Cameroonian ship list after drug raid

On Aug 19, Cameroonian authorities removed the 'Sky White' from the national ship list. The reasons for this removal were illicit activities. The ship, registered in Cameroonian registers since Feb 2024 as a fishing vessel, was boarded off the coast of the Canary Islands on Aug 14 with more than three tons of cocaine packaged in 80 packages. The operation was carried out through joint action by the Spanish, American, and Moroccan navies. Five crew members were subsequently arrested. The 'Sky White' had been under international surveillance since 2024 for suspected links to a trafficking network operating out of Morocco.

Tug seized for drug trafficing

On Aug 8, 2025, the Customs Surveillance Service of the Spanish Tax Agency and the Civil Guard intercepted the 'Sky White', with the collaboration of Morocco, about 900 nautical miles west of the Canary Islands. The vessel was carrying around 3,000 kilos of cocaine, divided into 80 bales of different sizes. The operation benefited from an international collaboration between the police services of Morocco, France, the USA, the United Kingdom, and Portugal, as well as the Intelligence Center on Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO) and the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N). Since the summer of 2024, the vessel had been suspected of being used for large-scale international drug trafficking, The five crew members were arrested .The operation was carried out as part of a case investigated by the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation (DNRED), in collaboration with Moroccan authorities, into the criminal group operating with the vessel.The case was linked to the investigation conducted in Spain by the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and the Civil Guard, which was investigating the “Sky White” as a supply vessel responsible for delivering narcotics to other, smaller vessels in areas near the Canary Islands or the Iberian Peninsula. The investigation was supported by the police services of the United Kingdom (NCA), the USA (DEA), and Portugal (Polícia Judiciária), coordinated by CITCO and the Atlantic Drug Trafficking Analysis Centre. With the support of the Spanish Armed Forces, a boarding operation was set up on the vessel in international waters west of the Canary Islands. The operation was carried out from a navy vessel by members of the Civil Guard’s Special Intervention Unit. About 3,000 kilos of cocaine were discovered, hidden inside the ship's structure. The vessel was in a deplorable condition for navigation, with serious safety deficiencies that posed a major risk to the crew, made up of four people from Bangladesh and one from Venezuela. The operation concluded with the arrival of the Navy vessel in Tenerife to unload the drugs and place the arrested in pretrial detention. Reports with photos: https://lemarin.ouest-france.fr/shipping/trois-tonnes-de-cocaine-saisies-sur-un-remorqueur-africain-au-large-de-lespagne-065f9028-785e-11f0-86b5-962552fd955f https://elpais.com/espana/2025-08-13/interceptado-con-3-toneladas-de-cocaina-un-barco-fantasma-que-surtia-a-las-narcolanchas-en-alta-mar.html https://www.elblogoferoz.com/2025/08/13/sucesos-interceptado-al-oeste-de-canarias-un-remolcador-con-tres-toneladas-de-cocaina/