SHOCKING video footage has captured the moment a group of drug traffickers opened fire on Spain’s Guardia Civil.
A high-speed boat chase ensued as fierce storms forced narcos to seek shelter upriver – and into a police trap.
The dramatic scenes unfolded on the Guadalquivir river near Sevilla, where the Guardia Civil had engaged a ‘waiting game’, knowing the bad weather would flush the criminals out of their offshore hideouts.
Drug gangs have been struggling with the intense conditions brought by Storm Joseph, which has battered the Andalucian coastline with high winds and rough seas.
Unable to wait out the storm in the open ocean, the narcolanchas were forced to head inland seeking refuge in the calmer waters of the river estuary.
But agents from the elite GAR (Grupo de Accion Rapida) unit were waiting for them in the Brazo de la Torre channel near Aznalcazar.
As a police helicopter swooped low over the water to cut off their escape, the traffickers opened fire on the officers.
The video shows the moment the chase intensified, with the sound of the helicopter blades mixing with the tension of the standoff.
Guardia Civil agents returned fire with ‘intimidatory shots’ to repel the attack.
Despite the exchange of bullets, no one suffered gunshot wounds, though three officers sustained minor injuries during the high-speed manoeuvres.
Four people were arrested and two semi-rigid boats were seized in the operation on Saturday.
The trend of narcos fleeing the weather has been seen across the region this week, with reports of drug boats also being spotted seeking shelter in coves along the Almeria coast.
Francisco Toscano, the government sub-delegate in Sevilla, confirmed that the force has intensified surveillance knowing that ‘illegal vessels try to go upriver looking for refuge’ during storms.
Unions including Jucil and the AUGC have blasted the government following the incident, reiterating their demand for the Guardia Civil to be classified as a ‘high-risk profession’.
They criticised Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska for ‘looking the other way’ while agents face suspects armed with war-grade weapons.
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