Laurence Dollimore
A POLICE officer has lost his arm after being rammed into by a vehicle driven by a drug trafficker in Algeciras.
The 33-year-old Policia Nacional agent is in a serious condition after having his limb amputated at the Punta de Europa hospital.
The officer had been in his car on the so-called Los Yankees highway and had ordered an approaching car to stop while blocking the road.
The vehicle, a stolen car from Marbella loaded with hashish, instead rammed the cop car, making it overturn.
The almost fatal incident occurred at around 7am today and was part of an anti-drug trafficking operation.
Two officers, an inspector and lower-ranking officer, were in the car blocking the road, believing the narco would come to a stop.
He instead rammed his BMW X5 into the them at full speed and tried, in vain, to escape.
The higher ranking inspector who lost his arm was transported by helicopter to hospital, where he also has serious injuries to one of his legs.
The other officer got off lightly in comparison with a dislocated shoulder and bruising and has already been discharged.
The suspect is in custody after 16 bales of hashish were found in his vehicle.
It comes just days after drug traffickers opened fire at Guardia Civil officers during a raid on a marijuana plantation in Cadiz.
Three officers were shot and left with serious injuries in the incident which sparked a manhunt in the hills of the Sierra de Cadiz.
All the suspects are reported to have been apprehended.
Policia Nacional and Guardia Civil have been cracking down on drug trafficking in the Campo de Gibraltar area in recent weeks.
This has meant more raids and randomised roadside spot checks.
Algeciras mayor Jose Ignacio Landaluce said: “They have both been doing a magnificent job in stopping the scourge of smuggling, putting their physical safety at risk.”
Cannabis is not worth the the time, expense, and police efforts. Legalise it, take it out of criminal hands and do more useful work with the tax money raised.