Four tons of hashish intercepted on a Dutch boat sailing to Spain
In a joint operation between the Tax Agency and the National Police
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The boat, after anchoring in Majorcan waters and visiting areas known to be places for loading drugs in the Mediterranean Sea, returned to Spanish waters
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The crew, composed of two Bulgarian citizens who have been arrested, having been spotted by the Customs Surveillance patrol of the Tax Agency, set fire to the ship to try to burn the cargo and prevent police action
March 27, 2020 .- Customs Surveillance officials from the Tax Agency and agents from the National Police have seized four tons of hashish on a sailboat that was sailing towards Spain. The two crew members of the boat have been arrested.
In the context of the prevention measures established in the fight against large-scale drug trafficking, preventive inspections and controls have been increased on ships using any of the known routes for drug trafficking in the Mediterranean.
During one of these controls, investigators from the National Police and the Tax Agency identified a Dutch sailing boat which was suspicious due to its erratic trajectory.
The boat was approached about 80 miles south of Ibiza and inspected by members of Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency, who located inside the hashish cargo.
Suspicious route off the Spanish coast
Criminal drug trafficking organisations continue to carry out large consignments of drugs crossing the Mediterranean to Europe, using Spain as a place of purchase and as a strategic base.
In this respect, and through the preventive work carried out by the National Police and the Tax Agency, a sailing boat was identified due to its suspicious route. After anchoring in Majorcan waters and visiting areas known to be places for drugs loading in the Mediterranean Sea, it returned to Spanish waters destined for Europe.
As a result, on the afternoon of 26 March, the ship was approached and inspected by Customs Surveillance officials of the Tax Agency, and four tons of hashish were inside.
The crew, made up of two Bulgarian citizens, having been spotted by the Customs Surveillance patrol, set fire to their own ship to try to burn the cargo and avoid police action, but this was put out by the intervening forces. Both citizens have been arrested and placed at the disposal of the Instructional Court of Ibiza.
During the current health emergency caused by COVID-19 and the ensuing state of alert decreed by the Government of Spain, the researchers have established a series of measures to combat drug trafficking, having observed through analysed intelligence that such wholesale drug trafficking is continuing.
Filming of the sailboat's arrival at port (to download the videos you must enter the following web address):