The narcolancha pilot who was initially investigated and then cleared of the murder of two civil guards in Barbate (Cádiz) last February will remain in pretrial detention. Judge María Eulalia Chanfreut has denied his release in a ruling that cites the seriousness of the other crimes he is still being investigated for – smuggling and belonging to a criminal organization – which could result in sentences of up to seven and a half years in prison. The judge also highlights his criminal record, including a six-month suspended sentence in September 2022 on the condition of not committing any crimes for two years. The judge refers to a report provided by the Guardia Civil ruling out the detainees as responsible for the deaths of the two agents, aligning with the opinion of the Anti-Drug Prosecutor, Ana Villagómez, who opposed the release of the first detainees due to the seriousness of the other offenses under investigation.
This is the first judicial decision regarding the personal situation of one of the six detainees since the Guardia Civil changed the course of the investigation last week with a report analyzing a video recorded by one of the detainees, concluding that another narcolancha was responsible for ramming and killing the two agents. The judge, who is serving as reinforcement in the courts of Barbate and had previously intervened in this case, responded to a request from the pilot’s defense lawyer, who had appealed a previous ruling rejecting his client’s release. The subsequent requests for release are still pending a response from the judge. The Guardia Civil report, sent on May 7 to the court of first instance in Barbate, pointed to another high-speed boat carrying three unidentified individuals as the true culprits of the tragic collision, leading to the possibility of ruling out the current suspects in the murder of the civil guards.
The ongoing investigation saw statements from the six detainees denying involvement and pointing to another boat as the cause of the incident. One detainee, Mustafá C., identified the pilot responsible for the attack as a man named Khaled, stating that both he and the other occupants, who he claimed were Moroccan, were involved in the crime. Judicial proceedings continue in this case, with some civil guards involved in the incident providing statements in court last Friday. Additionally, a new case has been opened in the same court following a complaint from the Unified Association of the Civil Guard regarding the working conditions of the guards involved in the operation. The judge’s ruling emphasizes the seriousness of the charges and the ongoing investigation, justifying the decision to keep the narcolancha pilot in custody. Further requests for release are still pending a response, as the legal process continues to unfold in this complex case.
