• During the operation, a van full of fuel canisters caught fire.

• The operation resulted in the seizure of 43 jerrycans of gasoline and two vehicles.

April 7, 2026. Customs Surveillance officials from the Tax Agency, together with the Civil Guard and members of Greco Jerez of the National Police, carried out an operation during the night of March 23, 2026 and the early morning of March 24 against the logistical structures that serve criminal drug trafficking organizations in the province of Cadiz. As a result of this operation, a supply of 'narco-boats' on the Guadalete River has been thwarted and 43 jerrycans of gasoline and two vehicles have been seized.

The operation began when the Customs Surveillance Service's operational group detected a fuel supply operation for high-speed boats on the Guadalete River. Once the corresponding surveillance device was established, two inflatable boats and two vehicles belonging to the organization, which were attempting to resupply them, were discovered in the vicinity of the Port of Santa María, on the riverbank: a large van and an SUV loaded with jerrycans of gasoline.

As the police operation approached, those responsible fled in one of the boats, taking advantage of the darkness and abandoning the vehicles that were blocking the road. The van, which was also carrying jerrycans of gasoline, caught fire and was completely burned out.

As a result of the police action, 43 jerrycans of fuel were seized and the two vehicles were impounded. Investigations are ongoing, and arrests are not ruled out.

The operation is the result of close collaboration between the Tax Agency, the National Police and the Civil Guard to dismantle the smuggling networks operating in the region, with the seizure of large quantities of fuel, boats and vehicles used by criminal organizations.

Dangerous goods

The handling, transportation, possession or sale of flammable substances in violation of established safety regulations and endangering the life, physical integrity or health of people, or the environment, constitutes possible commission of crimes defined in the Penal Code in its articles 348 and 568; with prison sentences of up to eight years.