Operation of the Tax Agency and National Police

• The boarding was carried out by the patrol boat 'Petrel' of the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency in waters near the islands.

• The four crew members of the Spanish flag ship arrested

• The bundles of drugs were visible piled up inside the sailboat.

December 15, 2023.- The Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, within the framework of a joint action with the National Police to reinforce surveillance of waters near the Canary Islands to prevent trafficking of narcotics by sea, intercepted and boarded on December 13 a sailboat named 'Catalonia', with a Spanish flag and 15 meters in length, which was transporting in its interior nearly 3,600 kilos of hashish distributed in 100 bales, according to the first estimates.

The boarding by the Customs Surveillance Special Operations Vessel 'Petrel' has been carried out in the usual context of the prevailing weather conditions in the Canary Islands at this time of year. During the course of the operation, the four crew members, a Bulgarian citizen, an Italian and two Moroccans, were arrested.

The packages, weighing 36 kilos and of the usual type for transporting narcotic substances, were piled up inside the sailboat and visible to the naked eye, something that could indicate that an immediate stash on the Canary coast was intended.

The way the sailboat sailed and its course caught the attention of the officials, which led to the decision to carry out a routine reconnaissance that concluded with the detection of the narcotic.

Yesterday the ship 'Petrel' arrived at the port of La Luz and Las Palmas to, in collaboration with the National Police Corps through UDYCO Las Palmas, proceed to unload the drugs and bring the detainees to justice. .

The operation has been directed and coordinated by the Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office of the National Court. Both the detainees and the boat and the narcotic substance will be handed over to the Central Investigative Court number 4, which is hearing the case.