Joint operation by the Tax Agency and the National Police

• During the operation, carried out last December, the Customs Surveillance Special Operations Vessel 'Fulmar' had to navigate through storms, with high winds and waves, in search of the vessel.

• The crew of the sailboat, three of them Colombian nationals and one Frenchman, are awaiting trial

January 24, 2023.- Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with the National Police, intervened on December 5 a sailboat from the Caribbean that was transporting nearly 2,500 kilos of cocaine destined for the area of the Canary Islands, and has proceeded to the arrest of its four crew members, who are in provisional prison awaiting trial.

The boarding of the sailboat 'Mambo' was carried out by the Customs Surveillance Special Operations Vessel 'Fulmar', which departed from Cádiz on November 28, sailed westward through storms in search of the vessel, which was finally located in a low pressure area, with significant winds and waves that made assault and boarding considerably difficult.

The Customs Surveillance officials who were members of the 'Fulmar' dam crew warned from the first moment that the sailboat was transporting narcotics, given that a large quantity of the bales that are usually used for the transport of drugs could be seen from the outside of the sailboat. cocaine.

After the boarding, the four crew members of the boat were detained; three men, two of Colombian nationality and one of French nationality, and one woman, also Colombian. After securing the boat, the towing of the sailboat began until its arrival at the port of Las Palmas.

This operation is the result of customs and police coordination, which, through the exchange and analysis of the information obtained in their respective areas, in this case by the Regional Customs Surveillance Area in the Canary Islands and Greco Galicia of the National Police, allowed the detection of early summer the sailboat 'Mambo' in the Canary Islands.

The navigations, stays and behaviors of the crew of the sailboat indicated that they could be reconnoitring the geographical area and the marinas of the islands for a future operation to introduce narcotic substances, in this case cocaine, as was later confirmed.