The Civil Guard, in a joint operation with the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, seized on December 31st off the coast of Tenerife a total of 46 bales containing 1,640 kilograms of hashish, in an operation that resulted in three detainees.
The operation began after citizen information was received about the presence of a suspicious boat that was very close to the coast of the island of Tenerife, as reported this Saturday by the security body in a statement.
After receiving this notice, the Civil Guard activated various units of the corps, such as the Canary Islands area helicopter unit (UHEL), provincial maritime service and groups of specialists in underwater activities (GEAS) that, with the support of a boat of the Deputy Directorate of the Customs Surveillance Service (DAVA), managed to intercept a zodiac-type vessel about 15 miles from the island.
In order to locate it, the Civil Guard helicopter immediately flew over the entire area and once it was able to spot it from the air, it coordinated with the vessels of the Provincial Civil Guard maritime service and GEAS to direct from the air its trajectory towards the suspicious vessel and thus be able to intercept it.
After several attempts to flee by the occupants of the boat, and once they were surrounded, they began to throw into the sea several of the bundles of hashish that they were transporting, the Civil Guard added.
Finally, the maritime service and GEAS agents managed to intercept the boat and proceed to the arrest of the three occupants, two men aged 32 and 36 and a minor under 16, all three of Moroccan nationality, as alleged perpetrators of a crime of drug trafficking.
Once taken into custody, the bales that had been thrown overboard could be located and retrieved from the sea.
The detainees have been placed at the disposal of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Investigative Court, along with the proceedings conducted by the Organized Crime and Anti-Drug Team (EDOA) of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Civil Guard and DAVA staff.
