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THIS is the moment an Andalucian mayor pleaded for government help as brazen ‘nacro-boats’ were caught on camera idling off Spanish shores in broad daylight – just metres from where he stood.
The shocking video shows two speedboats drifting unharmed off the coasts of Pulpi and Almeria, while the mayor Juan Pedro Garcia Perez addresses the camera from a nearby hill overlooking the scene.
Drug traffickers and human smugglers have been spotted operating along Andalucian coasts increasingly often in the past two months, with local authorities forced to watch helplessly due to what they have denounced as a shocking ‘lack of manpower and equipment’ to fight back.
Garcia Perez stated that “we are tired of asking our government to fix the situation in Pulpi.” “The Guardia Civil do great work, but don’t have enough manpower.”
He added, “Without manpower, they cannot do anything.” “We need men, and we must change our laws if we are to feel safe.”
Garcia Perez’s plea was just the latest in an avalanche of desperate appeals by Andalucian authorities, as criminal gangs seem to have intensified operations in southern Spain in recent months.
Five narco boats (pictured below), seeking refuge from a violent storm, dropped anchor Sunday morning off Cadiz.
Balaclavas are worn by the men to conceal their identities from law enforcement.
A similar scene occurred earlier on Friday in Barbate, to the west of Gibraltar. The Guardia Civil called for support from government.
Reports state that in both cases the law enforcement agencies were unable to remove the gangs because of a lack personnel.
The AUGC spokesperson, who represents the Guardia Civil union, stated: “These scenes are of shame and infamy.” The State has no power to act. [This is] “Narco Territory now”
The spokesperson said that “political leaders and commanders of the police are absent.” They are not taking their responsibilities seriously, and only care about the next step they need to climb.
A man drowned near Aguamarga (Almeria province) in early January. Human smugglers had forced dozens migrants to swim towards the Andalucian coasts under gunpoint.
READ MORE Watch: A dead man and many missing after traffickers forced migrants to swim in freezing water under threat of gunfire off the Andalucian Coast
A high-speed drug vessel attempted to evade Guardia Civil marine units in December. It performed a number of dangerous maneuvers during an intense pursuit.
Jose Francisco Garrido was the mayor of Nijar, in Almeria, at the time of the incident. He urged the central Government to “do their job, increase Guardia Civil officer numbers, give them the resources and protocols necessary to combat these criminal networks and start taking Nijar more seriously.”
He said: “I have been mayor of Nijar for just over two years, and from day one I have been calling on the Spanish government – which is responsible for dealing with this issue – to put an end to the problem.”
“But unfortunately, Pedro Sanchez’s government cannot, or will not, put a stop to the criminal gangs that roam our beaches on a daily basis – gangs that traffic drugs and human beings and fuel large-scale illegal immigration,” he added.
READ MORE Shock in Almeria as drug speed boats form ‘floating narco village’ in tourist beauty spot during Storm Emilia
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