The Guardia Civil, in an operation that has had the collaboration of the European Agency FRONTEX, has thwarted two different caches on the Almeria coast, in which nearly 2,600 kg of hashish, a vehicle and a boat have been seized, and 11 people have been arrested.
In the first action, at around 03.00 hours on the 1st, the Guardia Civil of Almeria issued a warning to the service units of the detection through the Integrated External Surveillance System SIVE of a boat suspected of being involved in drug trafficking activities entering the Almeria coast. An extensive operation was then organised with investigation units, the Maritime Service and citizen security patrols, which managed to locate the landing and loading of the bales of hashish in the Bay of Almeria.
When they were surprised by the Guardia Civil, some of the personnel involved in the unloading threw themselves into the sea, and the agents alerted the emergency medical services to assist them, while others of those responsible began to flee by road, which led to several vehicle chases by the agents, which ended with the seizure of 50 bales of hashish, a vehicle and the arrest of seven people.
In the second action, as a result of the services developed from the Maritime Coordination and Surveillance Centre (CECORVIGMAR) of the Guardia Civil with the European Agency FRONTEX, with the participation of the patrol boat «Tenente Petrucci» of the Italian Guardia de Finanza with civil guards on board, a boat was detected 11 miles south of the west coast of Almeria that was identified as likely to be involved in drug trafficking.
During the patrol boat’s approach, a brief pursuit was initiated which ended with its interception and the interception of 30 bales of hashish and the arrest of four people and different technical means.
As a result of these two actions, the Guardia Civil of the Almeria Command, with the collaboration of means deployed by the Frontex Agency in the Mediterranean Sea, have managed to thwart two caches of hashish, intercepting a total of 80 bales (2,600 kg), a vehicle and a boat, and have also carried out the arrest of 11 people who have been imprisoned.