Walter Finch
FIVE suspected drug traffickers are missing after a narco speed boat collided with a stationary one during a high-speed chase on a river in Sevilla.
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 crash took place in the area known as Caños de Jeronimo near Lebrija when a Guardia Civil patrol boat was pursuing one narco launch which then smashed into another vessel that was moored alongside the riverbank.
The second boat was reportedly in the process of changing crew members when the impact occurred.
The most seriously injured person was initially transported to Sanlucar de Barrameda before being transferred to a hospital.
Several individuals fell into the water, triggering a search and rescue operation that now includes a Guardia Civil helicopter.
This incident comes just one week after another dangerous pursuit on the same river.
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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.’
Just days ago, the Civil Guard intercepted a semi-rigid boat in Lebrija transporting 200 fuel containers intended to supply other vessels engaged 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 such vessels reached the Andalucian capital and were seen in broad daylight near La Cartuja.
While the government insists that the presence of these boats in the river is due to increased police pressure in coastal areas, the reality is that these vessels operate 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.
