British man arrested after drug boat collision with 3.7 tonnes of cocaine near Algarve
A pilot from Algeciras died during a Portuguese Judicial Police operation after a speedboat collided with a pursuit vessel 80 nautical miles from Faro.
Anti-drug operation in Algarve waters leaves one dead
According to The Olive Press, a British man has been arrested following a pursuit in open waters off the Portuguese Algarve, where a drug boat carrying 3.7 tonnes of cocaine collided with one of the pursuing vessels. The speedboat was intercepted on Sunday 11 October, approximately 80 nautical miles south of Faro, around 150 kilometres from the coast.
The pilot of the vessel, a man from Algeciras, died during the operation. Portuguese authorities reported the arrest of a second crew member, of Spanish nationality. According to Portugal's National Maritime Authority, the crew disobeyed orders to stop, and during the pursuit executed evasive manoeuvres that culminated in the collision with one of the naval vessels.
Officers found the man from Algeciras seriously injured. He was transferred to another vessel to receive first aid and subsequently evacuated by a Spanish rescue helicopter. Medical staff confirmed his death during the evacuation. Spanish police sources indicated that the deceased had been piloting the vessel.
The operation, called Mare Nostrum, was derived from a six-month investigation led by the Portuguese Judicial Police's drug trafficking unit. It targeted a criminal gang suspected of introducing large quantities of cocaine into Europe by means of high-speed speedboats. The Portuguese Navy and maritime police participated, together with the Italian Guardia di Finanza. Also collaborating were the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre in Lisbon, the Portuguese Air Force and the Spanish Guardia Civil.
Source: The Olive Press