The timeline, the hiding place, the arrests in Almería and the questions still open about the 2,600kg of cocaine shipped from Tema.

Published 12 Nov 2026, 05:50 GMT

3 min read

Spanish customs officers and Civil Guard agents inspect crates of coconuts from Tema at Valencia — Spanish customs officers and Civil Guard agents inspect the coconut crates from Tema in which 2,600kg of cocaine was hidden.

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The timeline

Two containers were loaded at Tema on August 2 and reached the port of Valencia by container ship on August 22.

Spain's customs risk unit had flagged both as high-risk during its routine screening of international trade. Officers opened them on arrival.

Where the drugs were hidden

The cocaine was not inside the coconuts. The wooden crates carrying them had false bottoms.

Under each false bottom lay a full layer of parcels of the kind used to move cocaine. A narcotest on the white powder inside confirmed it was the drug: 2,600kg in all.

How it was tracked

Rather than make arrests at the port, officers took out the drugs and let the cargo continue under surveillance.

The coconuts were moved onto two refrigerated lorries, which drove south to a warehouse on the La Juaida industrial estate in Viator, Almería.

As the lorries were unloaded, officers arrested two men.

Spain describes one as the importer of the goods and the other as the man in charge of the unloading. Neither has been named.

What we don't know yet

The Spanish statement does not name the Ghanaian exporter of the coconuts or the importing company in Spain.

It does not say when the drugs were found or when the arrests were made, only that the cargo arrived in August. Nor does it say whether Ghanaian authorities were told or took part.

Not the first

In September, French customs at Dunkirk found nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine in a container of plastic waste from Ghana. NACOC arrested suspects in Ghana over that shipment.

In 2025, Dutch customs found 4.5 tonnes of cocaine in timber from Tema at Amsterdam, and Belgian officers found 2,829kg in cassava flour at Antwerp.

The pressure at home

After the Dunkirk seizure, President John Dramani Mahama met security chiefs and ordered an inter-agency task force to review how drugs are detected at the country's ports and borders.

Araba IncoomAraba Incoom writes on multiple topics with a vast knowledge across different sector. You can almost call me an AI, after all, my initials are Araba Incoom.

Cocaine in coconuts: What we know about the Tema shipment seized in Spain

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