Three tonnes of cocaine seized from drug boat south of Gran Canaria
The Guardia Civil intercepted 3,360 kilogrammes of cocaine in 139 packages and detained five armed crew members. The Canary Islands is consolidating its position as Europe's entry point for drugs.
Drug boat intercepted 70 miles south of Gran Canaria carrying more than three tonnes of cocaine
The Guardia Civil seized a haul of 3,360 kilogrammes of cocaine on Friday aboard a semi-rigid vessel sailing approximately 70 miles south of Gran Canaria, according to Google News ES — Crime. A total of 139 packages were seized. The operation concluded with the detention of the five crew members aboard the vessel.
The detainees, aged between 21 and 41, were carrying two large firearms to protect the haul: an assault rifle and a light machine gun which, according to the investigation, were intended to repel possible attacks by other organised crime groups. Possession of such weapons is prohibited for private individuals.
Agents from the Guardia Civil's Maritime Service identified the vessel as linked to drug trafficking and proceeded to halt it. The boat, powered by several high-performance engines, attempted to flee by performing evasive manoeuvres, but the Guardia Civil officers managed to intercept it. The five detainees will be placed at the disposal of the judiciary and face charges of drug trafficking, serious disobedience, unlawful possession of weapons and membership of a criminal organisation.
The incident became known on the same day that the Superior Prosecutor of the Canary Islands, Jaime Serrano-Jover, granted an interview to Cadena SER. When asked whether the increase in operations reflects a real increase in drug trafficking or greater police effectiveness, Serrano-Jover responded that "both things are happening and precisely one is a consequence of the other".
The prosecutor also pointed to a geographical shift in drug trafficking routes: "What can perhaps be detected is a shift in the hotspots for drug entry into Europe towards the Canary Islands. At other times there were other parts of Spanish territory, even other parts of European territory, where access took place and now it takes place in the Canary Islands".
Serrano-Jover used the interview to defend the work of the security forces against any possible doubts about their effectiveness in controlling the arrival of cocaine in the archipelago: "The security forces and bodies carry out tireless work and there is questioning of a job that is not sufficiently paid and which is, in any case, a vocation for absolutely remarkable public service".
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)