Walter Finch
SPANISH authorities have sounded the alarm over the ‘scandalous proliferation of narcolanchas’ (drug boats) operating off the Cadiz coast.
More than 230 high-speed boats were spotted within six months along a stretch of coast from Barbate to Sanlucar de Barrameda, according to data from the Customs Surveillance Directorate.
Meanwhile, arrests and drug busts are down on recent years as police authorities find themselves ‘impotent’ to stop the flow of hash from Morocco to Spanish shores.
A newly-released 2023 report from the Public Prosecutor’s Office shows a drop off in the quantity of drugs confiscated, despite the occasional seizure.
Authorities in Cadiz seized over 61 tonnes of hashish in 2023, down on the 75 tonnes caught in 2018 and more than 82 tonnes in 2019.
The surge in boats and the reduction in busts has been linked to the disbandment of the legendary OCON-Sur counternarcotics unit in September 2022.
Another factor mentioned in the report is that drug smuggling has shifted to other provinces such as Huelva and Malaga, where seizures now outpace those in the Campo de Gibraltar.
After two Civil Guards were killed by a narcolancha in Barbate in February 2023, the Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, defended the current anti-drug strategy in the region.
He argued that dismantling OCON-Sur was an operational decision that had not negatively impacted arrests or drug seizures.
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Yet the prosecutor’s report details how the outlawed drug boats remain the primary method of transporting hashish from Morocco.
These boats, highly visible both day and night, operate along the coast and are often seen near the mouth of the Guadalquivir River around Sanlucar de Barrameda.
The report warns that these vessels are highly advanced, with sophisticated navigation systems and multiple engines of up to 350cc.
They often take refuge from the Guardia Civil outside of Spanish jurisdiction; in international waters, Morocco, or even neighbouring Portugal, where they are not considered illegal.
The slow pace of the Spanish court system is also blamed, particularly concerning money laundering by criminal networks.
The report reveals that the number of preliminary proceedings in Cadiz has dropped by 37% since 2022.
In response to the report, Grande-Marlaska announced that a new high-speed patrol boat would be delivered in the coming month to support the ongoing counter narcotics efforts.
