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Two Spanish Guardia Civil killed in drug raid chase: police

Two Spanish civil guards were killed Friday after being hit by a drug traffickers' boat during a chase, a police source said.

Published: 10 February 2024 10:09 CET
Two Spanish Guardia Civil killed in drug raid chase: police
Spanish Guardia Civil stand as boat crew members tie an alleged narco-submarine before towing it in Galicia. Photo: Miguel RIOPA/AFP.

Police did not give details but a video shared on several media sites showed a chase in the harbour at Barbate, near the major southern port of Cádiz.

Three speeding small boats could be seen in the nighttime chase.

The AUGC Guardia Civil, an association representing the paramilitary police, condemned the “tragic events” and called for an “in-depth inquiry”.

The sea off Cádiz has seen several confrontations and major drug seizures by customs and police.

Spain is a major transit point for narcotics arriving in Europe from North Africa.

READ ALSO: Why is Spain Europe’s cocaine gateway?

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CRIME

Spanish police smash international drug-smuggling ring

Spanish police have smashed an international network led by Turkish nationals suspected of smuggling "large amounts" of marijuana and heroin from Spain to other European nations, police said on Tuesday.

Published: 25 June 2024 16:43 CEST
Spanish police smash international drug-smuggling ring

Raids in 28 locations in the southern cities of Granada, Málaga and Seville earlier this month netted caches of money and weapons, as well as 10 luxury vehicles and over two tonnes of marijuana, Spain’s Guardia Civil police force said.

Officers arrested 36 suspects from 10 nations as part of the operation, including the suspected leader of the network, a man of Turkish origin who lived in Spain and was the target of an international arrest warrant issued by Turkey, they added.

The group “was focused on exporting large amounts of marijuana and heroin from our country to Germany and other nations in Eastern Europe”, police said.

The arrested suspects also included nationals from Argentina, Austria, Germany, Montenegro, Romania, Spain, Syria, Ukraine and Venezuela.

European Union police force Europol, which coordinated the investigation, said over 400 officers from French, Spanish and Turkish law enforcement agencies took part in the operation.

Spain is one of the main entry points for drugs into Europe given its close ties with Latin America and its proximity to Morocco.

Latin America is the main source of cocaine and Morocco is a key source of hashish, a sticky brown substance made from the resin of the cannabis plant.

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