Five held after beach landing of suspected drug speedboat

Five people were arrested after a suspected drug speedboat landed on Las Palmerillas beach in Roquetas de Mar on Monday morning, following the same incident reported earlier by CNS. Our earlier report set out how the boat came ashore after an 112 alert at around 8.40am.

The Guardia Civil said the arrests were made soon after the landing, with three of those detained also accused of resisting officers during the operation. All five are being investigated over alleged contraband offences.

According to local reports, the boat reached the shore in daylight and around a dozen people got out before running towards nearby vegetation. The craft then headed back out to sea, leaving several fuel containers in the water close to the beach.

A van is also said to have fled the scene, but it was not clear from the available information whether it was linked to the people who ran from the boat or to a separate part of the operation.

The incident comes only days after another suspected smuggling craft was found abandoned on the same stretch of coast, heightening concern among police unions and residents about repeated landings in the area.

Repeated landing on the same beach

Las Palmerillas has become a focal point for recent maritime smuggling activity on the Almeria coast. The earlier incident involved a boat left on the beach with large quantities of fuel, and Monday’s landing has now resulted in arrests.

The Guardia Civil has not yet given any further public details on the nationality of those detained, and the investigation is continuing.