Joint operation with the Tax Agency, National Police and the Guardia Civil

• Three people have been arrested during an operation that has been one of the largest arrests of this year, managing to reduce the activity of criminal organizations based in the strait.
• The boat was used by a high-level criminal organization that intended to introduce large quantities of drugs through the Spanish coasts.

May 2, 2021.- In a joint operation by the Tax Agency, the Civil Guard and the National Police, more than seven tons of hashish have been seized and three people have been arrested during an intervention carried out on the high seas, proceeding to the boarding of a vessel that had been under investigation for more than a year and was the target of the MAOC (Maritime Analysis and Operations center), a European body to combat drug trafficking in the maritime field and of the Customs Maritime Intelligence Offices of Galicia and the Canary Islands.

Police efforts on the merchant ship began in March 2020, when it was already being investigated, in turn, by other nations such as the Netherlands and France. The boat, according to investigators, had been used to carry out drug shipments in several countries. It is known that the vessel was going to be used by a high-level criminal organization that intended to introduce a large amount of hashish through the Spanish coasts. The organization had set up its logistics point in Huelva, a town where judicial proceedings were opened by the Civil Guard and Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency.

The progress of the investigations led to the identification of the crew members, with control over the merchant vessel continuing until, with all the necessary information collected, it was agreed to board in international waters with the support of the Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Center. and Organized Crime (CITCO).

The boat, named Felsted, was a tugboat that had been renovated to have a large hold, and thus be able to transport a large amount of drugs. Furthermore, this type of boat withstands the worst weather conditions very well, so the organization takes advantage of the 'bad sea' to transport drugs.

Despite the difficult weather conditions, a device is organized in which two Civil Guard vessels participate: the high-altitude patrol vessel Río Arlanza and the ocean-going ship Río Miño. The operation lasts two days and in addition to the civil guards, two agents from the Tax Agency embark.

Finally, the tugboat is detected and a stealthy boarding is carried out with two auxiliary vessels from the Miño River. The crew members do not detect the police action until the agents are on board the tugboat.

The tugboat is escorted by Benemérita vessels to the Port of Algeciras where 200 bales are unloaded, which once weighed reach a weight of 7,130 kilos.

This is one of the largest seizures of this year, with more than seven tons of hashish seized, which manages to reduce the activity of criminal organizations based in the strait and prevent the advance of organized crime in the Campo de Gibraltar.