Fight against drug trafficking

• 108 bales of hashish carried by the semi-rigid boat have been seized and four people have been arrested
• The boat tried to flee by carrying out risky maneuvers that caused two of its crew members to fall into the water, who were rescued by officials.
• In another operation in the Strait, 600 more kilos of hashish have been seized after a new chase at sea

April 14, 2023.- Customs Surveillance Officials from the Tax Agency, aboard a patrol boat based in Almería, have seized almost four tons of hashish distributed in 108 bales after the chase to a 'narco-boat' in the Alboran Sea off the coast of Adra (Almería), and four people have been arrested.

The operation took place on April 3, when a Customs Surveillance patrol boat detected the presence of two vessels heading to the coast of Almería, so a maritime interception and land support operation was established.

Once visual contact was made, the boats took off quickly, and one of the boats managed to escape. The other semi-rigid, while also attempting to escape, carried out risky maneuvers that endangered the safety of its crew, causing two of them to fall into the water. While proceeding to rescue him, the members of the patrol boat managed to board the smuggling boat.

The boat seized is a semi-rigid inflatable boat 14 meters long with three engines of 300 HP each, one of those usually used for hashish trafficking. Inside were 108 burlap bundles containing hashish resin weighing 3,915 kilos; 42 bottles of gasoline that he was transporting for his supply were also seized.

Its four crew members, two of Spanish nationality and two Moroccans, were detained, and together with the boat, merchandise and seized effects, they were placed at the disposal of the Investigative Court No. 2 of Berja, on guard duty.

600 kilos of hashish in another operation in the Strait

In another operation carried out in the early hours of April 9, Customs Surveillance officials seized 600 kilos of hashish after a chase in the waters of the Strait of a semi-rigid boat that was sailing without lights. The Customs Surveillance patrol vessels Águila II and Fénix V pursued the 'drug boat', forcing its crew members to flee back to the African coast and throw a large part of the drugs they were transporting into the sea to escape. In total, 18 bales of hashish weighing 646 kilos were recovered.

These operations are part of the control actions carried out by the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency on sensitive goods that are intended to be introduced illicitly into the territory of the European Union.