• 417 jerrycans of fuel and four high-speed semi-rigid boats have been seized

January 9, 2026. The Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, in collaboration with the Civil Guard, and within the framework of the permanent surveillance, prevention of drug trafficking and smuggling on the coast of Huelva, in a maritime operation carried out off the coast of Punta Umbría (Huelva), have arrested 14 people and seized four high-speed semi-rigid boats and 417 jerrycans with more than 7,800 liters of fuel.

The operation took place during the morning and afternoon of Monday, December 29th, and the intervention is divided into three phases. The first action began when the Huelva Provincial Maritime Service of the Civil Guard spotted a drug-running boat which, upon noticing the police presence, began to flee. Following tactical tracking, the vessel was intercepted and its entire crew, consisting of a total of three people, was arrested, in addition to 105 jerrycans of fuel.

Then, in a second operation, a group of three drug boats was detected. The crew of one of them, upon noticing the police presence, fled out to sea, while the crew members of the other two grouped together into one, abandoning the third to facilitate the escape. A chase then ensued, marked by high-speed evasive maneuvers, putting the safety of the officers and the crew at risk.

Finally, the agents managed to catch up with the drug boat and arrested seven people, while seizing 312 jerrycans of gasoline. The abandoned vessel was also recovered and towed away.

The final phase of the operation resulted in the arrest of four more people, when the Civil Guard patrol boats 'Río Antas' and 'Alcatraz' of the Customs Surveillance Service caught up with a fourth semi-rigid boat, which was then taken to port.

The operation resulted in the arrest of 14 people, the seizure of four high-powered quad-engine semi-rigid boats and 417 fuel canisters totaling more than 7,800 liters of gasoline.

The operation involved agents from the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, agents from the Huelva Civil Guard Command of the Provincial Maritime Service, the organized crime anti-drug team (EDOA), agents from the Port Fiscal Company and the Citizen Security Unit (USECIC), in coordination with the Regional Center for analysis and intelligence against drug trafficking (CRAIN) of the Seville Command.

All those arrested, perpetrators of alleged crimes of smuggling and against collective security, as well as the proceedings carried out, will be placed at the disposal of the Judicial Authority that is handling the case. Furthermore, the boats and fuel containers are under the custody of the Civil Guard, at the disposal of the competent court.