A joint operation by the Tax Agency and the Guardia Civil

• Ten people have been arrested and more than 4,600 kilos of hashish have been seized
• The members of the criminal network took advantage of the summer season to go unnoticed, as they hid the drugs in the double bottoms of recreational boats.
• During the investigations and as the seizures were made, the network looked for new areas to continue operating.

September 28, 2022.- The Tax Agency and the Civil Guard, within the framework of Operation Kazuya, have arrested ten people who were members of a criminal organization that introduced large quantities of hashish through hidden deposits in recreational boats. In total, more than 4,600 kilos of hashish have been seized, eleven boats and ten vehicles have been confiscated.

The operation began last June when it became known that a recreational boat could be used to unload hashish from the coast of Morocco.

From that moment on, the vessel was tracked and after heading out to sea, it returned to the coast towards Isla Cristina (Huelva). The operatives observed how the organization removed the boat from the marina of Isla Cristina and loaded it onto a trailer for transport by road.

The agents then intercepted the vehicle and carried out an inspection, during which they found, under cover, a false bottom with 720 kilos of hashish. The operation ended with the arrest of the driver, the seizure of the drugs and the intervention of both the boat and the vehicle.

Investigators continued the operation in anticipation of the possibility that the organization was using more recreational boats to take advantage of the summer season and avoid detection of its illegal activities.

The Tax Agency and the Civil Guard deployed a joint operation, by land and sea, which allowed the seizure of two boats in the Carreras River and another 1,959 kilos of hashish hidden in sophisticated double bottoms.

Following the latest arrest, the criminal group moved to the Piedras River, between the Huelva towns of Cartaya and Lepe. In this case, the operations seized three vessels, 1,980 kilos of hashish and arrested two of the crew members.

Investigators identified all members of the organisation and carried out several searches in the towns of Ayamonte, Isla Cristina, Lepe and Villablanca, authorised by the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 4 of Ayamonte (Huelva).

The searches ended with the arrest of seven more people for alleged crimes of money laundering, membership of a criminal organization and violations of public health. Nine high-end vehicles, two large-capacity vans, six cross motorcycles, a buggy, five boats, a jet ski, more than 6,000 euros in cash, a drone, three electric bicycles and various computer equipment were also seized.

Operation Kazuya was carried out by Customs Surveillance officers from the Tax Agency in Huelva together with members of Ocon-Sur and the Anti-Drug Organized Crime Team (EDOA), belonging to the Organic Unit of Judicial Police of the Civil Guard of the Huelva Command.