Police arrested six men and confiscated 100 kilos of narcotics yesterday—the largest drug bust in Iceland’s criminal history. The substance was being transported on a yacht, which was docked near Papey island off Iceland’s southeastern shore, RÚV reports.
The photo is unrelated to the story. By Páll Stefánsson.
First three men were arrested who are suspected of having fetched the drugs on an inflatable boat from Djúpivogur. Then they loaded it into a jeep and went their separate ways, Morgunbladid reports.
One of the men proceeded to drive the jeep to Reykjavík but was arrested in the vicinity of Höfn. The other two men were arrested in another vehicle near Djúpivogur. The men have been placed in custody until May 11.
The Icelandic Coast Guard cruiser Týr followed the yacht and finally caught up with it close to the Faroe Islands at 10:35 pm. Members of the special forces boarded the yacht and arrested the three men onboard.
The yacht is now being towed to back Iceland.
Police estimate that that the drugs are either amphetamines or cocaine. Their worth could amount to ISK hundreds of millions (ISK 100 million = USD 770,000, EUR 590,000).
According to Morgunbladid, the police had been following the travels of the men who were involved for some time.
The bust was extensively planned. It was undertaken by the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police, the East Iceland Police Department, the Capital Region Police, the Icelandic Coast Guard and the Danish Air Force.
The investigation is now in the hands of the Capital Region Police, who began questioning the suspects last night.
This case is in many ways similar to Operation Polar Star, another major drug bust in east Iceland in September 2007.
Click here to read more about that case.
