THE Guardia Civil has dealt a double blow against drug trafficking gangs in southern Andalucia with the smashing of a logistics network supplying narco-boats.
A suspicious vessel detected off the coast of Mazagon, in Huelva, was intercepted with 3,040 kilos of hashish on board.
Its eight crew members were arrested after trying to escape from officers.
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Meanwhile, the Guardia has busted a drug trafficking logistics nursery in Conil de la Frontera and seized more than 10,120 litres of fuel destined for high-speed narco-boats.
Five people have been arrested with dozens of others still being investigated.
The Mazagon boat interception happened when Guardia officers approached the craft and confirmed that it was carrying numerous packages that looked like bales of hashish.
The crew’s response was to roar off at high speed, making sudden movements that put their lives and those of the officers at risk.
During their attempted escape, they also threw several petrol cannisters into the sea.
The chase ended when the Guardia’s Rio Tietar vessel hit the narco-boat and officers boarded it to execute eight arrests.
76 bales of hashish were found with the semi-rigid boat equipped with four high-power engine impounded.
The Guardia Civil’s search of a Conil de la Frontera property used as a drugs logistic centre led to the seizure of 61 petrol canisters.
They also removed a stolen foreign boat, a rental van, panels to assemble vessels and watertight drums used to fuel up craft.
Investigations uncovered a criminal gang made up of residents of Conil de la Frontera and La Linea de la Concepcion with their base at the home of of the group members.
They operated on a regular basis along the Conil coast close to their headquarters.
They carried out transfers and logistical supplies to narco-boats in the area, as well as providing changes of crew.
The Guardia probe yielded the seizure of 405 bottles of fuel intended for narco-boats, totalling over 10,120 litres of gasoline.
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