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

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

The Tax Agency has now carried out eight operations in the last year and a half on the 'Eastern Mediterranean route', resulting in more than 100 tonnes 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 flag of Portugal 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 Spaniard, one Guinean and one Ghanaian, have been arrested. According to the investigations carried out, the fishing vessel's operations would be part of the so-called 'Eastern Mediterranean route'.

The operation was carried out last Sunday, November 23, in Mediterranean waters, about 40 nautical miles south of Almería, by a crew of Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency on board the patrol boat 'Cazadora' of the Spanish Navy. At the time of the boarding, the crew of the fishing boat blew up a gasoline canister in order to set the boat on fire and make the drugs they were transporting disappear.

Customs officers 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 the Maritime Rescue Service of Almería for hospital care.

The investigation was carried out by the Portuguese Judicial Police, in collaboration with the Tax Agency, the Civil Guard (UOPJ-Pontevedra), the National Police, and with the support of the Intelligence Centre against Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO), the MAOC-N, the Spanish Navy and Air Force, which collaborated in locating the target. Investigations by the Portuguese Judicial Police indicated that a fishing boat named 'Eiskos' and flying the Portuguese flag could have received a significant amount of hashish and was sailing in 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 officers who boarded the ship observed a significant number of bales of the type normally used for trafficking hashish in the hold of the ship. Due to the fire that broke out on board, the recount of the passengers is pending. The drugs, the detainees and the fishing boat are now at the disposal of the courts in Almería.

 

'Eastern Mediterranean Route'

This operation marks the eighth time the Tax Agency has seized large quantities of hashish on the 'Eastern Mediterranean route' since June 2013, with a total of more than 100 tonnes of drugs seized. To this end, the implementation of analysis and control devices on the Mediterranean trade route by the authorities of France, Italy and Spain has been essential, resulting in 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 vessels 'Adam', 'Gold Star', 'Luna-S', 'Moon Light', 'Avenir de Safi II', an unnamed Egyptian fishing boat, 'Berk Kaptan', 'A la voluntad de Dios', 'Mayak', “Aseel”, “Aberdeen”, “Just Noran”, and now, the fishing boat 'Eiskos' seized 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 of the area, evaluating the risk of maritime traffic of goods and intensifying international collaboration. As in its seven previous operations, the seizure of the fishing vessel 'Eiskos' was the result of this strategy.

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

These ships can also be used as mother ships to transfer the hashish to other smaller vessels, which would unload it directly on the Community, Spanish, French or Italian coast.

Customs Supervision: Filing of complaints for smuggling and related crimes

Free telephone number 900351378. Email: va.adu@aeat.es