Two Convicted for Failed Cocaine Retrieval in North Sea

Dutch fishing boat captain and accomplice sentenced after attempting to recover a ton of cocaine dropped by cargo ship near Spiekeroog.

The Oldenburg court sentenced the 50-year-old captain to four years and three months in prison, and his 46-year-old accomplice to four years for aiding in drug smuggling.
The men attempted to retrieve cocaine packages thrown into the North Sea from a cargo ship transporting soymeal from Brazil to Germany in March 2024.
The operation, coordinated by international drug cartels using the 'drop-off' method, failed when the drugs were not found at the designated location.
While the two were arrested by German authorities, the cocaine, estimated at around one ton, was likely retrieved later by other individuals and remains missing.
The case highlights the growing use of European waters by South American drug cartels, with recent major cocaine seizures in Hamburg, Antwerp, and other ports.