Police break up fast boat drugs gang in Malaga and Cadiz

The National Police have broken up a criminal gang based on the coasts of Malaga and Cadiz who apparently prepared and fitted-out boats to transport hashish into Spain from Morocco.

The drugs were hidden in rented industrial warehouses and then taken by lorry to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. In a statement, the police said the network had collaborators in Andalucía, Extremadura, Murcia and Valencia.

The operation, which was called ‘Viñas’, was carried out in nine phases and resulted in the arrests of 21 people and the seizure of 296 kilos of marijuana which had been hidden among lettuces in a refrigerated lorry, 80 kilos of hashish in a false panel in the loading doors of a trailer, eight boats, half a dozen outboard motors, four trailers, three lorry cabs, 4,200 litres of fuel and about 16,000 euros in cash, among other items.

The investigation began in mid-2021 when the police identified a gang who they suspected of trafficking large quantities of hashish, using boats with powerful motors which enabled them to cross quickly between Morocco and the Cadiz coast.

They had rented warehouses so they could fit the boats out with the motors, navigation systems and electronic equipment, and these were then moved by lorry or on trailers to the Campo de Gibraltar area to be used when needed.

After investigating the assets of those believed to form part of the drug trafficking group, the authorities have seized 45 vehicles with a total value of 1,472,000 euros and a property worth 150,000 euros.