One Dead and Four Injured as Drug Boat Collides During Police Chase in Cádiz

A Civil Guard operation against drug trafficking in Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz) on Saturday night resulted in one fatality and four injuries, all of them crew members of a drug trafficking vessel, after it collided with the coast and capsized.

According to a statement from the Civil Guard, the operation began when eight drug boats were detected entering via the Guadalquivir River. The operation, involving the Maritime Service of Cádiz and Huelva, along with a helicopter, agents from the Cádiz Command, and the Rapid Action Group (GAR), prevented the unloading of 121 bundles of hashish.

One of the vessels, equipped with four engines and transporting drugs, was accompanied by another boat acting as a guide. Once both reached land, they began unloading their cargo when the helicopter landed next to them. The crew fled the scene in the larger drug boat, abandoning 47 bundles of hashish and the guide vessel.

A pursuit ensued, joined by a DAVA vessel, lasting approximately 400 meters as the drug boat collided with the coast after crossing the river from side to side in a straight line. The vessel capsized, resulting in one death and four injuries of varying severity.

Authorities seized an additional 74 bundles of hashish scattered at the accident site. The investigation is being conducted by the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard in Cádiz and will be submitted to the Guard Court of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.