Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police

• A patrolman from the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, in an international operation, has boarded a sailboat loaded with about 6,000 kilograms of hashish
• This operation represents a police blow to the criminal organizations of the East, leaders in maritime drug trafficking.
• Its three crew members have been arrested and a drone, security cameras and a radio frequency detector were seized, among other devices in order to escape police action.

August 16, 2022.- The Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with the National Police, in collaboration with the authorities of the United Kingdom and Italy, as well as with The participation of the CITCO (Intelligence Center against Terrorism and Organized Crime) and the MAOC-N (Center for Maritime Analysis and Operations on Drug Trafficking), have intervened in international waters of the Atlantic 130 miles off the coast of Huelva about 6,000 kilos of hashish and have arrested the three crew members on board the drug-sailboat bound for Spain.

This operation represents a police blow to the criminal organizations of the East, leaders in maritime drug trafficking. In addition, they have seized a drone, security cameras or a radio frequency detector, among other devices with the aim of facilitating criminal action.

The investigation began at the beginning of 2021, when information was confirmed that one of the most active criminal groups in Spain was preparing to acquire a sailboat for use in drug trafficking.

Thanks to international cooperation with the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom and with the Italian authorities, as well as with the participation of CITCO (Intelligence Center against Terrorism and Organized Crime) and MAOC-N (Maritime Analysis and Operations Center regarding Drug Trafficking), the sailboat was identified and police action was coordinated.

Investigation

The vessel, named BIBI and presumed to have the Maltese flag, traveled to Italy in February of this year, from where it moved to Spain in March, establishing itself on the Levantine coast as a logistical point and as a base of operations in order to finalize previous preparations. to the narcotics burden in Africa.

After leaving Spain, they sailed to a point on the Moroccan coast where they loaded the drugs with the intention of returning to our country and introducing the narcotic into Europe through the south of the peninsula. Finally, and thanks to the international commitment of all the units involved, the vessel was intercepted in international waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Customs Surveillance Service established the appropriate device that resulted in its aero-naval resources locating and boarding the sailboat 130 miles off the coast of Huelva.

The officials arrested the three crew members, among whom was the skipper of the boat, a captain with years of experience and extensive maritime knowledge, who had already been previously detained in similar circumstances aboard another narco-sailboat. The search of the ship resulted in the seizure of about 6,000 kilos of hashish, as well as a drone that was used to detect surveillance by police authorities, security cameras, or a radio frequency detector with the capacity to locate geolocation devices.