Drug trafficking gang spotted for the first time in Malaga's Caleta de Vélez harbour

A drug-trafficking boat has been spotted for the first time at Caleta de Vélez harbour on the eastern Costa del Sol. On Sunday 25 January crew members allegedly "defied and mocked" Guardia Civil officers who were filming the boat.

Due to the series of Atlantic storms battering the south of Spain, drug traffickers' boats are now taking refuge in the ports along the Malaga coast. For the first time, a semi-rigid boat with three individuals on board has been documented in Caleta de Vélez.

With their faces covered, the suspects look at the camera and wave at officers. Jucil Málaga, the association of the Guardia Civil, has denounced the "impunity of drug traffickers on the Andalusian coast, defying and mocking officers".

As officers shone lights on the boat and filmed its occupants, they allegedly acknowledged the officers and waved at them. However, the Jucil Málaga association's judicial secretary, Pablo Rosa, acknowledges that the officers were unable to check the condition of the boat or identify its crew because the Guardia Civil boat "was not available to these colleagues at the time".

The association has denounced "the lack of resources" to identify the individuals, "linked to criminal organisations" and "the total impunity they enjoy".