Overview

• The sloop Lona, flying a Czech flag, was located 50 nautical miles north of La Palma following intelligence from the UK’s NCA and the US DEA through MAOC and coordinated by CITCO.
• During a prolonged pursuit in rough seas, the crew ignited the vessel to destroy evidence, leaving one suspect with severe burns who was airlifted to Tenerife for treatment.
• Patrol vessels Sacre and Petrel I extinguished the fire and recovered 25 kilograms of cocaine before the sloop sank.
• Both crew members—a French and a Dutch national—are in custody, with the more seriously injured held under hospital care.
• Investigators have secured the sunken hull and are probing the shipment’s route from the Caribbean and its intended entry point into Europe.