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Off-duty officers and a stranded speedboat: the daily reality of fighting drug trafficking on the Cádiz coast
Two separate incidents in the Campo de Gibraltar highlight the relentless pressure on police tackling one of Spain's most persistent crime problems
Eleven Policía Nacional officers were off duty when they spotted something that did not look right. A large van travelling on the A-381 highway near kilometre 24 was riding unusually low to the ground. They ran the plate, and the response from headquarters confirmed their suspicions: no insurance, no valid vehicle inspection certificate, and the vehicle registered to a known local repeat offender.They decided to follow it. When they eventually pulled the van over, the driver began making evasive manoeuvres, putting other road users at serious risk before finally being stopped. Inside were 100 jerrycans, each holding 25 litres. A total of 2,500 litres of fuel, believed to have been destined for the drug trafficking networks operating in the area.
The Jupol police union was quick to respond, praising the officers' instincts and commitment. "Once again, the Policía Nacional have demonstrated that their badge is not put away at the end of their shift," the union said. "Their actions have prevented thousands of litres of fuel from reaching the hands of drug trafficking gangs operating in the Campo de Gibraltar."
The union explained the significance of the seizure. The practice known locally as "petaqueo," the smuggling of fuel to supply drug-running speedboats, is a key logistical pillar for trafficking organisations in the area. "Without fuel, there are no speedboats, and without logistics, there is no operational capacity for these criminal networks."
That point was underlined by a separate incident nearby, where a Guardia Civil operation led to a high-speed drug-running vessel running aground at Punta del Boquerón in San Fernando. The boat had been performing evasive manoeuvres to escape Guardia Civil patrol boats when it became stranded.
The grounding was so violent that sea recovery was not possible, and a crane was eventually used to remove the vessel, with heavy machinery already in the area carrying out beach regeneration work at Camposoto.
The two incidents come against a backdrop of sustained law enforcement pressure along this stretch of coastline. An operation last November widened Andalucía's anti-drugs push following a shoot-out in Isla Mayor, while a record-breaking bust in Cádiz the previous October uncovered 20 tonnes of hashish hidden among peppers, illustrating the scale and sophistication of the networks that officers here face day in, day out.
Jupol is once again calling for the Campo de Gibraltar and the wider province of Cádiz to be declared a Special Zone of Special Interest, a designation that would bring additional resources, better working conditions and greater legal protection for officers on what the union describes as Spain's most demanding front line.
Image: wikicommons
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