Walter Finch
A HIGH-SPEED pursuit off the Marbella coast ended with three arrests after desperate narcos dumped dozens of petrol jerry cans into the Mediterranean Sea.
The dramatic chase unfolded nine miles from shore on September 19 when Guardia Civil officers spotted a suspicious speedboat racing towards the coastline at full throttle.
Officers immediately suspected the vessel was a narco-boat – one of the high-powered craft regularly used by drug trafficking gangs to transport contraband along the Costa del Sol.
The semi-rigid boat was carrying a staggering 192 petrol containers when patrol officers from the Provincial Maritime Service moved in to intercept it less than a mile from the coast.
READ MORE: Spanish police catch narcos dumping drugs into the Strait of Gibraltar and seize almost seven tonnes
As soon as narcos spotted the Guardia Civil approaching, they cranked the engine and tried to make a frantic getaway.
As they ploughed through the waves, the three occupants began hurling dozens of fuel containers overboard as they zigzagged through the waters trying to outrun the patrol boat.
The sea quickly filled with floating plastic canisters, creating a major environmental hazard in the pristine Mediterranean waters which attract millions of tourists to the Costa del Sol each year.
Despite their efforts, the Guardia Civil successfully intercepted the fleeing vessel and discovered the full scale of the operation.
Officers recovered 136 containers still on board the boat plus another 56 floating in the water – a total of 3,500 litres of petrol that could have caused serious marine pollution.
All three crew members were arrested on the spot and now face charges for possession of flammable substances.
The incident highlights the ongoing battle against drug trafficking networks that use the Costa del Sol’s extensive coastline and busy marinas to smuggle drugs into Europe.
Investigators are continuing their probe to determine the intended destination of the fuel cargo and whether it was connected to larger narco-trafficking operations in the region.
Environmental teams are working to assess any potential damage from the dumped fuel containers in waters popular with swimmers, sailors and marine life along the Marbella coast.
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Congratulations, Guardia Civil. Keep up the excellent work you do in keeping us safe.
Perhaps the narcos are going back to the old technique of hiding cocaine by diluting it in petroleum.
That’s an interesting point: I didn’t know that was possible.