TEN suspected members of a drug trafficking gang have been arrested after opening fire on a Guardia Civil patrol boat during a dramatic chase off the coast of Huelva in Andalucia.
The gang was pursued in the early hours of Tuesday after officers spotted a ‘narcolancha’ boat, the name given to small, high-speed vessels commonly used to ferry tonnes of illegal drugs into mainland Spain.
The suspects reportedly carried out a series of dangerous evasive manoeuvres before throwing bales of drugs into the sea in an attempt to evade arrest.
They then opened fire on the pursuing officers, who themselves returned fire.
The Guardia Civil hit one of the traffickers, but were unable to stop the boat after their patrol vessel suffered a mechanical failure.
The injured suspect was later dumped by his accomplices on a Cadiz beach before heading to hospital for treatment, where he was subsequently arrested.
A major operation was launched the following morning to track down the remainder of the gang and the boat.
Officers successfully intercepted the vessel and arrested nine people on Thursday, while a second vessel used to provide support further out at sea was also seized.
Almost six tonnes of hashish were recovered during the operation.
An investigation has been launched into the incident as officers work to establish the precise role played by each member of the gang, including their involvement in the shooting.
The incident is the latest example of the increasingly violent tactics being used by drug gangs operating off the coast of southern Spain.
According to figures from Spain’s Centre for Intelligence Against Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO), seizures of hashish doubled in Huelva to 43 tonnes in 2025.
The increased levels of drug trafficking have been accompanied by a rise in attacks and dangerous confrontations involving police.
Just three months ago, two Guardia Civil officers from the Huelva maritime unit were killed when two vessels collided during a high-speed pursuit of a narcolancha boat off the coast of Huelva.
The violence has also spread across the rest of Andalucia, with drug gangs involved in a string of clashes with police and customs officers in recent months.
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