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A SO-CALLED ‘narcolancha’ has been intercepted while transporting 200 cans of fuel along the Guadalquivir River.
After being tracked secretly by the Guardia Civil, a semi-rigid vessel, commonly used by drug traffickers was stopped at Lebrija in Sevilla.
The vessel had first been spotted in the sea off Chipiona in Cadiz, where it entered the mouth of the Guadalquivir River in Sanlucar de Barrameda – a resort town loved by both Spanish and foreign tourists.
The police claimed that the boat was intercepted by Lebrija after it had travelled along the river in order to provide fuel to other boats transporting illegal drugs.
In recent months the Guadalquivir has been a focal point for drug smugglers.
It used to be a major hub for trafficking in hashish from Morocco.
Seven tonnes of the drug powder were recently found along the river at Coria del Rio in Sevilla. This was the largest amount brought into southern Spain ever on a semi rigid boat.
Three tonnes of cocaine arrived in La Pubela del Rio several weeks later, a sleepy town near the river bed. It is one of a number of towns that are used to store drugs.
In recent weeks, several ‘narcolanchas’ have been filmed riding up and down the Guadalquivir river, sparking concern among locals.
Sevilla is one of Spain’s top tourist destinations. The narcos were seen in the open, even close to Sevilla.
Sevilla government minister Francisco Toscano said that police pressure in other areas has forced traffickers to move to the river, but insisted their activity ‘is nothing new’.
Last weekend, seven narcolanchas Drones caught the men in daylight, at La Algaba’s heights. Sevilla was also nearby.
This comes after police secretly recorded narcos with guns loading a van of drugs in Huelva province, which is just across the border.
Guardia Civil footage shows a group men loading bales with hashish into a van at the border of Portugal.
Traffickers were seen with military-grade weapons and some wearing masks and balaclavas.
The AUGC police union stated on X, “This isn’t a film.” This is a spectacular drug stash with assault rifles in Huelva, Huelva, taken in daylight, right in front of Muelle de las Carabelas.
The organisation also took a shot at the Interior Minister Fernando Marlaska. It said: “Minister Marlaska refuses to acknowledge the dangers that Guardia Civil agents face.”
It comes after the force warned this month that they are not well enough equipped to deal with the ‘growing’ scourge of drug trafficking across Andalucia.
As part of the investigation, at least 12 people have been arrested.
Four of them were recently handcuffed and await extradition in Spain. They live in Lagos in Portugal’s Algarve region.
During an armed police pursuit, one suspect took refuge inside a school full of students. Luckily, no one was injured.
According to Spanish reports, the operation was aimed at dismantling a ‘powerful’ criminal gang based in Punta Umbria, Huelva.
The mafia has been accused of transporting narcotics from northern Morocco along the coasts of Huelva, and other estuaries.
After the police increased their presence on the Costa del Sol coast and Campo de Gibraltar, drug traffickers have found new routes.
In the last year, there have been multiple incidents of police clashes with drug traffickers along the Guadalquivir River and its estuaries.
Also, last week it came to light that children are used as smugglers of drugs into the mainland Spain.
Policia Nacional reported that it detained two juveniles and one adult in Algeciras near Gibraltar for 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 increasing number of drug boats, and petrol boats that provide them with fuel, is a sign that this 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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It said that the Ministry attributed this to a lower production of drugs in Morocco and a shift in trafficking routes. However, the reality is there are fewer seizure because there aren’t enough resources available to intercept the drug.
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.
Their vehicles often lack the essential safety systems needed for high speed pursuits, and many of them have clocked in at over 250 000km.
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 is a serious issue that needs to be tackled immediately, which also means 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.
