Operation "Lady Boss"

• Officials of the Tax Agency patrol ship 'Alcatraz' boarded a ship, which was flying the Comoras Islands flag, and is reported to have been transporting 600 bundles of hashish, weighing approximately 18,000 kilograms
• The Spanish Civil Guard ship ‘Rio Miño’ also took part in the operation as back-up and other resources deployed in operation INDALO being undertaken by the European Agency FRONTEX
• The thirteen crew members of the ship were arrested, eleven of whom are of Ukrainian nationality and two Bulgarian

August 9, 2017 .- The Tax Agency has intercepted at 4:00 p.m. on August 8, about 32 nautical miles south of the port of Almería, an 88 nautical mile merchant ship meters in length, named 'Lady Boss', flying the flag of Comoros, when it was transporting a significant quantity of hashish resin. The operation was carried out by customs officials aboard the 'Alcatraz' patrol ship, which forms part of the Tax Agency customs surveillance team that patrols the Straits of Gibraltar, with back-up from the Tax Agency helicopter based in Almería.

Back-up was provided in the operation by the Spanish Civil Guard ship ‘Rio Miño’, which is taking part in Operation INDALO currently underway in the south of Spain under the control of the European Agency FRONTEX.

The operation began one week ago when naval aviation teams of the Customs Surveillance Office detected the 'Lady Boss' ship in an area of the straits commonly used for drug drops. When the patrol ship 'Alcatraz' boarded the boat, they discovered 600 bundles of hashish, estimated to weigh approximately 18,000 kilograms.

The thirteen crew members were arrested on the spot, eleven Ukrainians and two Bulgarians, and the boat was seized and transferred to the port of Almería. The detainees, drugs, boat and police actions carried out by Customs Surveillance will be inspected by the Almería District Duty Court.

This is yet another operation of the Tax Agency in the fight against drug trafficking on the so-called Eastern Route, known for its use by merchant ships loading up large quantities of illegal drugs in north African waters for shipping towards the east of the Mediterranean Sea.