Drugs ring simulating boat damage to aid smuggling, bust

Ecologists reject desalination plant

Desalination Plant in Lanzarote

The Guardia Civil have said they have dismantled a drugs trafficking ring simulating boat damage in order to be towed into ports, effectively evading the coast watch and hiding their stash.
The gang were loading the drugs into the cabin of their sailing boat on the Moroccan coast, and once in Spanish waters they would radio in that they have been the victim of damage or an accident, according to the police.
The coastguard would then tow the boats to Andalusian ports in southern Spain, where the drugs were unloaded little by little and stored in a hiding place awaiting reshipment abroad.
Excuses used by the gang went so far as to claim that one boat anchored in the port of Barbate, about fifty kilometres from Cadiz, had “been the victim of an attack by orcas while crossing the Strait of Gibraltar.”
Orca activity prompted Spanish authorities to temporarily ban sail boats from using the straits in 2020, with around 50 incidents reported. Orcas, or killer whales, can weigh up to six tons and measure nearly 10 metres in length, the size of a bus.
Police became suspicious in the summer of 2021 when a boat with several known drug traffickers was spotted making suspicious movements off the Andalusian coast.
The boat was boarded and two people were arrested along with 172 kilos of drugs as well as more than 63,000 euros.
A drugs ring simulating boat damage off the Spanish coast is a fairly novel way of smuggling drugs, as traffickers get more creative.


Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Author badge placeholder
Written by

Peter McLaren-Kennedy

Originally from South Africa, Peter is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for the Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

Comments