Brazilian entrepreneur Marcelo Nabuco Zollinger arrested with 500 kg of cocaine near the Canary Islands

Spanish customs, the Civil Guard and the National Police intercepted a sailboat in international waters about 740 km south of the Canary Islands on 18 June 2026. Inside the vessel, authorities found roughly 500 kg of cocaine and detained three suspects: two Brazilian nationals – one of them 36‑year‑old entrepreneur Marcelo Nabuco Zollinger, a partner in New Bahia Harley‑Davidson and a hospital‑equipment firm – and a Moroccan citizen. The trio was transferred to the port of Las Palmas and subsequently taken to Madrid, where they remain in custody pending trial.

Zollinger’s lawyers denied the charges, declaring that the accusations will be "enfrentadas e devidamente esclarecidas no curso da instrução criminal" and emphasizing that his father, Dr. Marcelo Zollinger, "jamais manteve qualquer vínculo com as atividades empresariais desenvolvidas pelo filho." The operation highlights ongoing trans‑Atlantic drug‑trafficking networks and the cooperation of Spanish law‑enforcement agencies.