In an operation by the Tax Agency, the National Police and the Civil Guard with the collaboration of the Spanish Navy

• The merchant ship planned to transship the drugs to other smaller vessels as it passed through the Galician coast so that, once on land, it would be distributed to different European countries.
• The maritime action ship 'Serviola' of the Spanish Navy, with units on board from the three intervening bodies, located the merchant ship off the coast of the town of Lugo.
• Faced with the assault of the ship by the GEO of the National Police, the nine crew members opened a waterway to sink it and thus eliminate all possible evidence.

February 23, 2021.- Customs Surveillance Officials from the Tax Agency together with Agents from the National Police and the Civil Guard, with the collaboration of the Spanish Navy, have intervened near three tons of cocaine on a ship on the high seas off the coast of Ribadeo (Lugo). In the operation, the nine crew members who, when the ship was attacked by the GEO of the National Police, did not hesitate to open a waterway to sink it in order to eliminate all evidence.

The joint investigation began in May of last year, after learning of the alleged illicit activities of a criminal organization based in the O Salnés region of the province of Pontevedra. As a result of the analysis of all the information obtained throughout this investigation, coordinated by the Central Court of Instruction number 1 of the National Court, the agents brought together a series of indications that pointed to the existence of a merchant ship that could transport a notable amount of cocaine, which would be transhipped to other vessels at some undetermined point on the Galician coast.

For all these reasons, the investigation focused on a ship named 'Nehir', 52 meters long and flagged by the Republic of Palau, whose characteristics and navigation route fit perfectly with the possible objective of the police operation. At the same time, the agents also confirmed that, due to a weather alert on the Atlantic coast, no transfer could be made to any other ship when the 'Nehir' passed through the Galician coast, which is why, after the pertinent meeting in the CITCO Coordination and Studies Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Security, it was decided to intercept the aforementioned ship. 

In this way, the maritime action ship 'Serviola' of the Spanish Navy, with specialized forces on board the three intervening bodies and supported by a helicopter and three Customs Surveillance patrol boats from the Tax Agency of the Bases of Coruña, Ribadeo and Santander and a patrol boat from the Maritime Service of the Gijón Command of the Civil Guard located the merchant ship early yesterday off the coast of Ribadeo (Lugo). The ship was boarded by the GEO of the National Police who located a large number of bales, similar to those usually used to transport narcotic substances, hidden in a compartment of the ship.

The ship was sunk during the assault

During the assault, the crew of the 'Nehir', seeing themselves without any possibility of escape, activated some device that caused the rapid flooding of all the compartments of the ship with the intention of leaving no trace of their illicit cargo, achieving that, shortly More than two hours, the ship completely sank.

The quick action of all the agents and crew of the 'Serviola' allowed, not only the recovery of all the bales where the drugs came and the rest of the effects related to the events investigated, but also and more importantly, the rescue of the entire crew. of the 'Nehir' without any damage. This morning, the 'Serviola' arrived at the port of El Ferrol with the detainees and all the narcotic substance seized which, once on land, weighed about three tons of cocaine.

The nine crew members, all of them detained and of Georgian and Turkish nationality, will be placed at the disposal of the judicial authority in the coming days.

Filming of operation (to download the video you must enter the following web address):  https://we.tl/t-gDwXFBkscA