Eight arrested in anti-narcotics operation on tug GT Victory in Canary Islands waters
The Civil Guard, National Police and Customs Surveillance boarded the Panamanian-flagged vessel GT Victory. The eight crew members arrested were taken to Gran Canaria.
Boarding of GT Victory in Canary Islands yields eight drug trafficking arrests
Google News ES — Crime (es) reports that a joint major operation by the Civil Guard, National Police and Customs Surveillance —with support from international anti-drug agencies— culminated on Tuesday with the boarding of the tug GT Victory in waters off the Canary Islands archipelago and the detention of at least eight crew members.
The vessel, flying a Panamanian flag and with a declared destination of Morocco, was intercepted following an international alert received by authorities indicating that the ship could be transporting cocaine and that its crew —made up of foreigners with differentiated roles on board— would be armed.
The boarding was not without incident. The occupants of the tug refused to stop the ship despite orders from authorities, triggering a pursuit through waters near the Canary Islands involving high-risk manoeuvres until the engines were finally switched off.
According to sources consulted by LA PROVINCIA/Diario de Las Palmas, there were no injuries among either the arrested individuals or the intervening officers. Despite weapons being on board, no exchange of gunfire took place at any time.
The eight detainees were taken to Gran Canaria. The operation was ongoing at the time of publication and further action and additional arrests were not ruled out. The quantity of drugs seized had not yet been disclosed.
The GT Victory is an ocean-going tug built fifty years ago in the Netherlands. It was last registered fifty days ago in the port of Gibraltar, from where it is believed to have departed bound for Morocco. However, the last position received by radar placed it on 16 July between South Korea and Japan. From that date until the boarding on Tuesday, the ship navigated without transmitting a signal, like a ghost ship.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)