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Between 10 and 15 tonnes of hashish carried on a fishing vessel with a Portuguese flag seized in waters off the south of Almería

Combined operation by the Tax Agency, Civil Guard, National Police and Portuguese Judicial Police


The 'Eiskos' vessel, 24 meters long, was boarded about 40 nautical miles south of Almería by Customs Surveillance and its ten crew members were arrested, in the framework of the 'Adiada' operation


There are already eight actions carried out by the Tax Agency in the last year and a half on the 'Eastern Mediterranean route', with a balance of more than 100 tons of hashish intercepted

 

November 25, 2014.- The Tax Agency, in a joint operation with the Portuguese Judicial Police, has seized a fishing boat flying the Portuguese flag that was carrying a quantity of hashish, yet to be determined , which could be between 10,000 and 15,000 kilos. Its ten crew members, five Portuguese, two Senegalese, one Spanish, one Guinean and one Ghanaian, have been arrested. According to the investigations carried out, the fishing vessel's operations would be framed in the so-called 'Eastern Mediterranean route'.

The action was carried out last Sunday, November 23, in Mediterranean waters, about 40 nautical miles south of Almería, by a Customs Surveillance team from the Tax Agency aboard the patrol boat 'Hunter' of the Spanish Navy. At the time of boarding, the crew of the fishing boat exploded a gasoline drum in order to set the boat on fire and make the drugs they were transporting disappear.

Customs Surveillance officials managed to put out the fire and take control of the ship. As a result of the explosion, two of the fishing boat's crew were injured and were evacuated by Salvamento Marítimo de Almería for hospital care.

The investigation has been carried out by the Judicial Police of Portugal, with the collaboration of the Tax Agency, Civil Guard (UOPJ-Pontevedra), National Police and has had the support of the Intelligence Center against Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO). ), of the MAOC-N, of the Spanish Navy and Air Force, which collaborated in locating the objective. Investigations by the Portuguese Judicial Police indicated that a fishing boat named 'Eiskos' and a Portuguese flag could have received a significant amount of hashish and was sailing through the Mediterranean Sea.

After requesting the collaboration of the Tax Agency for its detection and boarding, the fishing vessel was located in waters south of Almería, and with the corresponding authorization from the Portuguese authorities it was intercepted.

The Customs Surveillance officials who carried out the boarding observed a significant number of bales normally used for hashish trafficking in the ship's hold. Due to the fire declared on board, their count is pending. Both the drugs, the detainees and the fishing boat are now at judicial disposal in Almería.

 

'Eastern Mediterranean route'

With this operation, since June 2013, there have been eight seizures of large quantities of hashish carried out by the Tax Agency on the 'eastern Mediterranean route', with a balance of more than 100 tons of drugs seized. Fundamental to this has been the implementation of analysis and control devices on the Mediterranean trade route by the authorities of France, Italy and Spain, which have led to the interception of more than a dozen ships carrying large loads of hashish.

This new operation confirms the importance of this new route opened for hashish trafficking. In the last year and a half, the authorities of Italy, France and Spain have seized the ships 'Adam', 'Gold Star', 'Luna-S', 'Moon Light', 'Avenir de Safi II', an unnamed Egyptian fishing vessel, 'Berk Kaptan', 'At the Will of God', 'Mayak', “Aseel”, “Aberdeen”, “Just Noran”, and now, the fishing vessel 'Eiskos' apprehended at south of Almería.

In order to control this new hashish trafficking route that could be diverted to our country, the Customs and Excise Department of the Tax Agency has established intensive and permanent surveillance over the area, evaluating the risk of maritime traffic of goods and services. intensifying international collaboration. As in its seven previous actions, the arrest of the fishing vessel 'Eiskos' has been the result of this strategy.

Drug trafficking organizations are agile and flexible, adapting quickly to new scenarios. Researchers suspect that this route would be used by organizations located in North African countries. They would transport significant quantities of hashish on merchant or fishing vessels, commercial vessels that would carry out legal transport and, upon departure, with a brief technical stop, they receive significant quantities of hashish for transfer to the easternmost countries of the Mediterranean.

These boats can also be used as mother ships to transship the hashish to other smaller vessels, which would deliver them directly to the Community, Spanish, French or Italian coast.




Customs Supervision: Filing complaints for smuggling and related crimes

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