Search-and-rescue mission is on for five suspected ‘narcos’ who fell into the water after a collision between speed boats during police chase in southern Spain – CSN News

Five suspected drug traffickers have gone missing after a speedboat collided into a stationary boat during a high-speed pursuit on a Sevilla river.

A further two were injured – one seriously – in the incident, which occurred after around 15 narco-boats had recently sought refuge in the Guadalquivir river due to storms at sea.

The accident took place in an area called Caños de Jeronimo Near Lebrija a Guardia Civil Patrol Boat was pursuing an narco launch that then crashed into another vessel which was moored on the riverbank.

According to reports, the second boat was in the process changing crew when the collision occurred.

The most severely injured person was transported initially to Sanlucar de Barrameda and then transferred to a local hospital.

A helicopter from Guardia Civil has been added to the search and rescue effort after several people fell into water.

This incident happened just a few days after another dangerous pursuit in the same river.

The Civil Guard Association (AUGC) has expressed its ‘impotence and embarrassment’ over what they describe as the impunity with which these vessels navigate the waterway.

Officers believe that while the problem in the Guadalquivir ‘has been ongoing for some time’ after drug-trafficking shifted away from La Linea, the situation has escalated in recent months to a point where traffickers ‘roam freely on the river.’

Only a few weeks ago, the Civil Guard in Lebrija intercepted 200 fuel containers that were intended to be used by other vessels in drug trafficking operations.

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Since the beginning of the year, narco-boats carrying fuel have been spotted—and filmed—traveling upriver as far as Sevilla itself, apparently fleeing police pressure or bad weather.

In January, five of these vessels arrived in Andalucia and were observed at La Cartuja.

The government claims that the increased police presence in coastal areas is the reason for the presence of these boats on the river. However, these vessels are operating openly even during daylight hours.

The main Guardia Civil associations have requested that patrols be equipped with upgraded firepower, that a dedicated Maritime Service be established in Sevilla to watch the river, and that the OCON Sur—an elite unit that achieved significant success in the fight against drug trafficking before being disbanded in 2022—be reinstated.