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The use of children to smuggle illegal drugs into Spain’s mainland has been exposed.
Policia Nacional detained today two minors and one adult in Algeciras on suspicion of drug trafficking.
The three men, who were on a boat leaving the Spanish enclave in North Africa, Ceuta had bricks of hashish strapped to their bodies.
The drugs, weighing over 2kg in total, were labelled ‘lemon hash’, with one photo of a suspect showing how multiple bricks were taped to his stomach and back.
It comes after the Guardia Civil this month claimed they are still ‘unarmed’ one year after the killings of two officers and that drug trafficking is growing and ‘taking root in coastal towns.’
Jucil is the union representing the ranks and fils, which claims that it has insufficient resources to fight the growing narco-scourge, putting lives at risk.
Officers David Nuñez and Miguel Angel Gonzalez were killed on February 9 last year when their smaller Zodiac speed boat was rammed by a narco boat sheltering from a storm in the port of Barbate.
“One year later, and we are still unarmed against the drug traffickers,” said general secretary Ernesto Vilariño.
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“The situation in the area has not improved, it’s actually gotten worse. The Guardia Civil has still insufficient resources to combat drug trafficking.
“The increased sightings and fuel boats that supply the drug boats are a clear indication that the problem has taken root in coastal cities.”
While the Interior Ministry has claimed the fact that drug seizures were down in 2024 – still a staggering 150 tonnes of hash and 44 tonnes of cocaine – is evidence that overall trafficking is down, Jucil disagrees.
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The Ministry attributed this to the supposed decrease in production in Morocco, and the shifting of routes for trafficking. But the truth is that there are less seizures because there aren’t enough resources to intercept drugs.
The drop in the street price of these drugs is cited as evidence that the amount of drugs entering Spain undetected is increasing.
Jucil complained about the Guardia Civil’s lack of patrol boats and their poor condition. This allowed the narco-boats to dominate the Strait of Gibraltar.
Many of their vehicles have more than 250,000km and lack essential safety features for high-speed pursuits.
Jucil states that the authorities are letting them down not just in their lack of resources but also in their failure to open an inquiry into the sequence of events that led up to the deaths of Nuñez and Gonzalez a year ago.
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“At a political and hierarchical level, it is as if nothing had happened,” Vilariño said.
“The state has failed to provide adequate security for its forces and we are still facing drug trafficking today without adequate means in life-threatening situations.”
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“We cannot allow the death of our colleagues to be forgotten, nor can we allow ourselves to mourn new tragedies in a year,” Vilariño continued.
“Drug trafficking must be addressed now. This also includes the recomposition [specialised drug fighting unit] The OCON-Sur”
“Drug trafficking is destroying families, and this is due to the lack of efficient means for the agents and the lack of social commitment in the province to prevent young people from trying to make a living with something as unsafe as drug trafficking,” added Agustín Domínguez, provincial secretary of Jucil in Cádiz.
As narcos have become more brazen in their social media activities, they are posting videos of themselves dancing on their boats and travelling behind huge cargo ships.
