Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police

• During the operation, carried out in the province of Cadiz, a second radar was dismantled, which was to be installed in the near future.
• A total of ten people have been arrested during the final exploitation of the investigation for crimes against public health and for belonging to a criminal organization

January 18, 2023.- Customs Surveillance officials from the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with agents from the National Police, have dismantled in the town of Chipiona, Cádiz, an operational and functional radar and a thermal camera used to control ships and aircraft of the police services. In addition, they have intervened in another complete radar that was to be installed soon. Three raids have been carried out in the towns of Chipiona, El Puerto de Santa María and Jerez de la Frontera, with ten people being arrested on suspicion of committing crimes against public health and belonging to a criminal organisation. These operations were carried out following two operations carried out on 8 August and 1 November, when a total of 104 bales of hashish were seized, weighing 3,120 kilos.

The criminal group was dedicated to introducing large quantities of hashish along the coast of Cadiz and supporting other organizations by controlling ships and aircraft through radar and dismantled military thermal cameras.

Previous phases

The first phase of this operation began in April 2022, when investigators discovered a series of recreational boats docked on the Guadalete River as it passes through El Puerto de Santa María and others hidden in industrial warehouses in the same town, all of them with clear signs of being used for drug trafficking. Police investigations revealed that an organisation was trying to bring a boat loaded with hashish into an unknown part of the river. This vessel was found half-sunken off the coast of Cadiz, loaded with 29 burlap bales containing hashish.

In a second phase of the operation, the agents seized 75 burlap bales containing narcotic substances inside a van. The driver was arrested. Once they reached the location of the stash, they found the two inflatable boats used to transport the drugs, one of which was seized, while the other could not be recovered because it had sunk after being damaged, although the engine was recovered.

A radar installed in an attic

As a final exploit of the operation, three raids and searches have been carried out in the towns of El Puerto de Santa María, Jerez de la Frontera and Chipiona, initially arresting a total of seven people involved in the events.

As a result of the raids and searches, it was possible to dismantle a complete, operational and functional radar installed in an attic in the town of Chipiona, used to control ships and aircraft of the anti-drug trafficking services, as well as a military-made, robotic and also operational and functional thermal camera used to monitor the actions of police patrol boats. Another operational radar was also intervened, ready to be installed in a new location soon. A shotgun with 30 cartridges was also seized.

Three other people were subsequently arrested in Jerez de la Frontera for their alleged involvement in the events as members of the criminal organisation.