Image for representation purposes only Almost half a tonne of cocaine was seized before it reached European countries, in an effort named Operation White Sea VI, which involved 14 nations. From June to July 5, 2026, authorities found 454 kilograms of the drug, which was dropped in the sea to be collected by smaller boats. The operation led by Belgian Customs and co-led by Frontex and Danish Customs saw the teams spend months monitoring drug traffickers and smugglers operating in Atlantic and northern waters. It was organised under the Cannabis, Cocaine and Heroin priority of EMPACT, the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats. Officers involved in the mission also kept an eye on the coastal areas and the English Channel. Regular patrols were conducted in the North Sea, and checks and inspections were carried out at the major seaports and terminals in the region. During the mission, authorities targeted several smuggling methods used by criminals, such as dropping drugs into the ocean for small boats to collect or transferring the shipment onto smaller inflatable boats to prevent checks at ports, collaborating with crew members and concealing the drugs on the deck or in the ship’s hull. Authorities also arrested 5 men after the operation ended, inspected 117 ships and monitored 691, according to sources. Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, helped the mission by providing surveillance assets both in water and air. Its vessel trackers followed suspected ships and helped the teams to focus on the biggest targets. Frontex Standing Corps officers who specialise in cross-border crime detection coordinated with Belgian teams to board suspected ships and carry out inspections, including deck sweeps. Frontex aircraft surveilled the area from above to track any weird movements and guide the security teams on the water. The coordination centre for the mission was Frontex headquarters in Warsaw, which saw more than 20 officers from the membe