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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

Europol bust cocaine gang with arrests in Marbella and Canary Islands

Europol said Thursday that a crime ring smuggling drugs into Europe had collapsed as the result of an investigation involving 40 arrests and the seizure of eight tonnes of cocaine.

Published: 13 June 2024 14:52 CEST
Europol bust cocaine gang with arrests in Marbella and Canary Islands

The Hague-based European police force said the entire cartel, whose leaders were based in Turkey and Dubai, had been dealt a major blow after a final set of arrests Wednesday.

The vast three-year-long operation involved police forces from a dozen countries and ranged from Brazil to Spain via Turkey.

According to Europol, the final phase of the operation began with the discovery in August 2023 by the Spanish Guardia Civil of 700 kilos (1,540 pounds)of cocaine in a boat off the Canary Islands, crewed by Croat and Italian citizens.

After exchanging their findings with other police forces, the investigators found links with previous seizures which led to the identification of the masterminds.

In all, 40 people were arrested in six countries, including two top Croat members of the network, who were arrested at the end of 2023 in Istanbul, police said.

The last four arrests took place on Wednesday in Spain, according to Europol.

In one operation witnessed by an AFP journalist, heavily armed members of Spain’s Guardia Civil arrested a 40-year-old man at dawn at his home near Marbella, a seaside resort popular with drug traffickers.

The smugglers shipped cocaine from South America to logistical hubs in west Africa and the Canary Islands.

The drugs were then sent on to centres in Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Italy and Spain for distribution across Europe.

Many of the drug network’s assets, with a total value of several tens of millions of euros, had been seized or frozen, Europol added.

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