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Two narco subs intercepted, one was scuttled

Agents of the Civil Guard, in a joint operation with the National Police and the Tax Agency, have intercepted a semi-submersible that was heading to the coast of Cádiz. The operation was carried out by the 'Fulmar' and has concluded with the arrest of the four crew members of the device, of Colombian nationality, who were rescued after sinking the vessel 280 miles west of the coast of Cádiz, before the approach of the 'Fulmar' on June 25, 2024. The semi-submersible has characteristics similar to those of other narco-vessels located in previous operations, and due to the location of the intervention, as well as the behaviour of the detained crew, it was presumed that it was transporting cocaine on board. On June 24 information was received from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which indicated a possible transshipment point between an unknown target and a presumably semi-submersible vessel in an area where the Customs Surveillance Service already maintained intensified surveillance through satellite means and to where the 'Fulmar' was already sailing to optimize the journey back to port. On the morning of June 25, about 280 miles west of Cádiz, the vessel located a 20-meter-long semi-submersible on its bow, similar to those already located in the Aldán estuary in 2019 and in the Arousa in 2023. The crew of the device, at the moment when they perceived the proximity of the ship, opened the bottom taps and came to the surface to get to safety. The semi-submersible flooded within minutes and sank with its cargo to the bottom of the sea. The Customs Surveillance vessel was already loaded with seized drugs, nearly 900 kilos of cocaine, at the time of the intervention, given that it had just carried out, three days before, another joint action with the Guardia Civil and National Police. In this first operation, and the result of international collaboration, information was received from the services of the British National Crime Agency (NCA) and the DEA, channeled through the Center for Analysis against Maritime Drug Trafficking in the Atlantic (MAOC) and the Intelligence Center against Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO). As a result of the analysis of the intelligence received, carried out by the Spanish police and customs services, the 'Fulmar' was activated to try to locate and intervene a vessel that was presumably transporting a significant amount of cocaine destined for our country. Early on June 22 the crew located the semi-rigid boat in the estimated transshipment area, which. when discovered, began to flee, loaded with a significant amount of bales of those usually used for cocaine trafficking. The chase, in complicated weather conditions, lasted for more than six hours, and finally the attempted stash was thwarted. The crew of the narco-boat dumped the cargo, a total of 30 bales with nearly 900 kilos of cocaine, which were recovered by SVA officials. The pursuit ceased at the moment when, having verified that all of the merchandise had been thrown into the sea, the pursued target headed towards the island of La Palma. The next day an abandoned boat appeared on the Tazacorte beach in La Palma that, almost certainly, corresponded to the one that fled after being chased by the Special Operations Vessel. The Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office of the National Court has referred the proceedings to the Court of Guard to continue the investigations, take statements from the crew members of the semi-submersible and try to identify those of the semi-rigid boat. Reports with photo and video: https://cronicadeandalucia.com/sociedad/interceptado-semisumergible-costas-gaditanas/ https://www.eleconomista.es/actualidad/noticias/12883921/06/24/la-policia-nacional-intercepta-un-narcosubmarino-antes-de-que-sus-ocupantes-lo-hundan-con-cocaina-en-su-interior.html