Two of the six narco-speedboats that took refuge from a storm in the port of Barbate (Cádiz) on February 9th performed up to seven high-speed passes and collisions in less than three minutes against the Civil Guard’s zodiac, which had six officers on board and was trying to remove them from the area. The last collision, in which a boat with four outboard motors ran over the Civil Guard’s zodiac, killed agents Miguel Ángel González and David Pérez, and injured the other four. All of these collisions were recorded by a GoPro camera worn on the helmet of one of the Civil Guard officers, who suffered serious injuries. The images have become more evidence against the six alleged occupants of the narco-speedboat who were later arrested and imprisoned.
The video, 12 minutes and 30 seconds long, begins as the Civil Guard boat sets sail towards the location of the narco-speedboats, according to a report from the Civil Guard included in the case file. Due to the size of the zodiac, much smaller than the criminals’ boats, the agents’ intention was not so much to arrest the occupants but to deter them from staying in the area. In the audio of the footage, the agents can be heard discussing the aggressiveness of the drug traffickers and the danger it posed to them. The police document includes the transcript of the dialogue the agents had 50 seconds before the fatal collision and 42 seconds afterwards. The conversation illustrates the escalating tension and fear among the officers as they realize they are being targeted by the narco-speedboats.
Another report from the Civil Guard highlights that due to the harassment and violence of the collisions, “the agents resorted to using firearms in a deterrent manner in the moments leading up to the last collision”. Three Civil Guard officers who were waiting on the shore confirmed in their statements that they heard “several shots” coming from their colleagues’ boat, which they identified as “intimidating” or “warning shots” as the narco-speedboat was about to collide with them. However, this did not prevent the narco-speedboat, with four outboard motors, from violently hitting them. The collision was intentional and aimed at killing the officers, as described by witnesses.
The police document emphasizes that the impact “occurred at such a high speed, that it was barely captured by the camera, indicating the severity of the attack suffered”. The three officers on the shore stated that they heard “a strong blow like a dry crack” at the moment of impact, and saw the lights of the official boat moving abruptly in all directions as the narco-speedboat crossed it from port to starboard, nearly half of the boat. After the collision, the police boat, with five occupants, headed back to the dock, while one of the deceased officers remained in the water and was later recovered. The injured officers received assistance upon their return to the dock, where one of them later succumbed to his injuries.
The narco-speedboat fled to Sotogrande, where three occupants disembarked and were later arrested. The boat continued to La Línea de la Concepción, where it was abandoned on the beach at La Hacienda. Hours later, the other three occupants were also arrested. The suspects deny being involved in the collision with the officers, but they all confirm being on one of the narco-speedboats that sought refuge in Barbate. They remain in custody charged with multiple crimes, including murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and resisting a law enforcement officer. The investigation continues to unravel the events of that fateful day and bring justice to the fallen officers.
