A police chase on the Guadalquivir River between a narco-speedboat, the Civil Guard, and Customs Surveillance has resulted in one of the occupants of the first boat dead and four others injured. The death occurred after the semi-rigid boat in which they were traveling crashed into one of the riverbanks in the early hours of Saturday. The other four injured, with various injuries, have been taken to the hospital by the Civil Guard. The Armed Institute has recovered 121 bales of hashish in the operation.
The events took place after one in the morning, when, in the deployment of cameras and sensors of the External Surveillance System (SIVE), the Civil Guard detected the presence of up to eight narco-speedboats “entering at high speed” on the Guadalquivir River, as explained by the Cadiz Command. The Armed Institute deployed a large operation with agents from the Cadiz command, the Rural Action Group (GAR), the Maritime Service of Cadiz and Huelva, and a helicopter to prevent the landing of the contraband. One of the boats involved, with four engines, was loaded with drugs and accompanied by another acting as a guide. When the two boats reached land, the crew began unloading the cargo. At that moment, the Civil Guard helicopter surprised them by landing next to them.
The intrusion of the helicopter caused the crew to board the larger boat to leave the area, leaving behind 47 bales of hashish and the boat acting as their guide. The escape of the traffickers initiated a pursuit involving Civil Guard boats, joined by another vessel from the Customs Surveillance Service. However, the skirmish lasted only about 400 meters. The speedboat collided with one of the riverbanks near a place known as Brazo de la Torre, causing the boat to capsize. The violent crash caused the occupants to be ejected, and the packages of hashish fell on them. One of the occupants died, and four others were injured to varying degrees in the incident.
It was the Civil Guard agents piloting an aluminum S20 speedboat who rescued the injured and evacuated them to the hospital. Following the incident, the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard in Cadiz has opened an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the incident. The recovery of the wrecked speedboat by the Civil Guard has been ongoing throughout the morning. The Civil Guard has not yet released the identity or other details of the deceased. The operation also resulted in the recovery of the 121 bales of hashish that the supposed traffickers were trying to introduce into the coast from Morocco.
On January 31, a similar police pursuit resulted in the death of another suspected trafficker, this time in charge of refueling. The accident occurred when a Civil Guard patrol boat detected a speedboat with four crew members resting near the mouth of the Guadalquivir River. Surprised, they started the boat, which collided with the Civil Guard boat Río Águeda. On June 8, another suspected trafficker died, and one was injured in another skirmish following a failed contraband attempt. In that collision, a vessel from the Customs Surveillance Service was involved. The most serious recent incident occurred on February 8, when two Civil Guard agents – Miguel Ángel González and David Pérez – were killed after a speedboat ran over them in the port of Barbate. Following the tragic incident, the Civil Guard arrested eight people accused of being involved, although subsequent investigations determined that there were other traffickers responsible who have not yet been apprehended.
