A joint operation by the Tax Agency and the Guardia Civil

• Thirty boats, more than 42,000 liters of fuel and €110,000 in cash have been seized.

• Several drug trafficking organizations operating in the southern peninsula have been dismantled.

June 28, 2025.- The Tax Agency and the Civil Guard have arrested 44 individuals from drug trafficking organizations operating in the southern Iberian Peninsula during an operation carried out in Algeciras, Cádiz, and Huelva, particularly between Campo de Gibraltar and the Guadiana River border area with Portugal last week.

This operation aimed to stop the entry of drugs through the Andalusian coast and was carried out in four distinct phases, allowing for more effective action.

Vessel surveillance

One of the actions focused on monitoring vessels that violated current nautical regulations and provided logistical support to drug trafficking, particularly by supplying fuel to these fast vessels.

These operations focused on the Bay of Cádiz, where 13 vessels were seized, and on the coast of Huelva, where another 16 were seized.

Fuel intervention

Nine people have been arrested and a total of 937 canisters of fuel have been seized on the Cadiz coast, specifically on the beaches of Los Barrios, Tarifa, Chiclana de la Frontera, Conil de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and Santi Petri. Likewise, on the Huelva coast of Punta Umbría, Isla Cristina, La Antilla, and El Rompido, six people have been arrested and a total of 756 fuel canisters have been seized. In total, more than 42,000 liters of gasoline were seized during these operations.

Control of drug transportation

Two fishing vessels used to transport drugs to the mainland have also been intercepted. In this case, criminal organizations were attempting to hide their illicit activity under the guise of fishing operations.

The first performance took place near the fishing port of Isla Cristina (Huelva). Agents managed to intercept a vessel supposedly used for fishing that was carrying a total of 70 bales of hashish inside its hold, leading to the arrest of the five crew members.

The second was near the port of Ayamonte (Huelva). The Tax Agency's Customs Surveillance, in collaboration with the Civil Guard, managed to intercept another fishing vessel that had a complex double bottom specifically designed to conceal the narcotic substance. With this technique they attempted to give a normal appearance to vessels that were pretending to be engaged in fishing. After a thorough inspection, the officers discovered an anomalous structure inside the ship: a double bottom that was trying to be disguised as part of the hull. Once dismantled, a total of 52 bales of hashish were found inside, and its four crew members were arrested.

The result of this phase has been the arrest of nine people who have been sent to prison, and more than 4,800 kilos of hashish have been seized.

Dismantling of retail outlets

Some of the drugs entering the country through these channels are used for retail sales, that is, sales of small quantities to end consumers, thus avoiding the need to store large quantities of the substance, spread across several points of sale. This type of activity generates great social alarm as the presence of addicts in the vicinity of homes increases significantly.

In this regard, two new operations against drug trafficking were carried out, both in the town of Isla Cristina (Huelva), targeting retail sales.

In addition to retail sales to homes, they offered a service known as "telecoca," making home deliveries after receiving orders by phone or text message. To make deliveries, they used various means of transportation, such as vehicles, motorcycles, and even electric scooters, which increased their sales to the entire town and surrounding areas.

In the initial operation, seven searches were carried out, 15 people were arrested—two of them minors—and more than 70,000 euros in cash and several doses prepared for sale were seized. In another, six searches were carried out, with five arrests, almost 45,000 euros in cash, and more than 15 kilos of hashish seized.

This phase of the operation also includes the dismantling of a drug sales point near several local schools, which operated during school hours, school dismissal, and recess.

The joint operation resulted in the arrest of 44 people, the seizure of more than 42,000 liters of fuel, 30 boats, 4,800 kilos of hashish, and €110,000 in cash.