More than thirty tonnes of hashish, the equivalent of a third of all cannabis confiscated in the Campo de Gibraltar area in the whole of 2019, was seized and nine members of a criminal organisation of Bulgarian and Russian origin were arrested as part of operation 'Goleta- Gratil', which took place between 24 and 28 September in several locations in the Atlantic Ocean.

Various patrols based in Malaga province, between National Police and customs surveillance personnel, have been carrying out investigations since October 2019, intercepting boats belonging to the same gang in March and July this year, seizing 4.2 tonnes and 360 kilos of hashish, respectively.

On this occasion, however, four boats that the authorities were tracking (Sweet Breeze, Eagle Ray, Amaalta and Carla - all top-of-the-range sailing boats) set off simultaneously and the joint operation mobilised to intercept all four at sea.

In what proved to be the largest successful maritime anti-drugs trafficking operation to take place in Spain, according to the Ministry of the Interior, approximately 30.5 tonnes of hashish were seized.