On February 24, two Spanish C-130 military aircraft were dispatched to a US air force base located in the city of Tampa (Florida, USA) to bring back treasure worth up to 500 million. USD.
The huge treasure lay at the bottom of the sea for more than 2 centuries before being salvaged – Photo: Tampa Bay Online
Guillermo Corral, cultural attaché of the Spanish Embassy in Washington, said the treasure, including 594,000 gold and silver coins, was brought back to the country under military supervision.
Over the past 5 years, this treasure has been the focus of an intense legal battle between Spain and Odyssey Marine Exploration – the American marine rescue company that discovered the treasure off the coast of Portugal 5 years ago.
The treasure is believed to have fallen from the Spanish ship Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes – a ship sunk by the British navy in 1804 while on its way back from South America. Since being salvaged, this huge amount of assets has been kept in a secret warehouse in Florida.
