SPAIN’S Guardia Civil has just one operational patrol boat to police more than 200 kilometres of the Costa del Sol coastline, as increasingly brazen narco gangs wave for the cameras in marinas.

As narco gangs increasingly operate in the waters around the Costa del Sol, the AUGC union which represents Malaga’s Guardia Civil officers has warned the force lacks ‘the most basic resources’.

Rafael Sanchez, a spokesperson for the union, warned that the force has just two boats covering the Costa del Sol’s 200km coastline and that only one can be deployed at any given time because of a shortage of personnel.

READ MORE: Narcos steal three Spanish navy fast boats left unguarded on a beach during military exercises off Cadiz coast in embarrassment for Spain

He explains, “There aren’t enough officers to deploy both at the same time. Besides, they’re old boats.”

Sanchez continued “On the Andalusian coast, we are working on the front lines against organized crime, facing weapons of war and without sufficient resources.”

The union has long been demanding better resources including boats and more personnel to combat increasingly powerful and well-equipped narco gangs. 

READ MORE: How Marbella became a playground, business hub and ‘killing ground’ for Europe’s most feared drug lord ‘Bolle Jos’ 

This lack of resources comes as narco gangs are acting with increasing brazenness and impunity across the Costa del Sol. 

A recent video showed suspected narco-traffickers dancing for the camera at sea off the Costa del Sol, while another captured a separate group cheekily waving as they cruised away from a busy marina.

In another audacious act, suspected narco-traffickers stole three Spanish Navy boats that had been left unguarded during a military exercise off the coast of Cadiz.

As authorities struggle with just one operational patrol boat, traffickers are increasingly acting as though they can operate with impunity along the Costa del Sol.

READ MORE: Inside the astonishing maze of underground tunnels a Marbella drug clan built to escape police raids

The AUGC is urgently calling for more resources ‘to prevent these mafias from establishing a permanent presence in Andalucia.’

Sanchez said the union had sent a letter to the government’s sub-delegation in Andalucia outlining the ‘worrying situation’ and calling for more staff. 

He described the response, which he claims simply involved forwarding the letter on to the Guardia Civil, as ‘outrageous.’

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