Spanish customs service boat sustains damage after high-speed chase with two narco-boats

A vessel of the Spanish customs service sustained damages early on Friday morning after colliding with a narco-boat in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Almeria.

There are no injured officers. The incident comes just a week after two Guardia Civil officers died in a high-speed chase off the coast of Huelva.

The high-speed patrol boat Audaz V (a new-generation vessel of the Spanish customs surveillance service) set sail from the port of Almeria to pursue a semi-rigid inflatable boat, commonly known as a narco-boat.

The boat was carrying drums of gasoline in what slang calls 'petaqueo' (a smuggling operation).

According to various sources, the patrol boat managed to intercept the inflatable boat. At that moment, however, a second narco-boat appeared and began to harass the patrol boat with the intention of preventing the arrest of the crew of the first boat.

During one of the manoeuvres, which endangered the officers involved, the second speedboat literally climbed on top of the first and managed to pick up the crew, achieving its objective and preventing their arrest.

The Audaz V boat sustained damage only to one of the side windows near the bridge.

The occupants of the inflatable boats were able to group together in a single boat and flee the scene, while the second vessel remained in the area without the officers being able to tow it to the Port of Almeria.