Ten suspected drug traffickers were arrested after the crew of their narcolancha, a fast semi-rigid smuggling boat, opened fire on a Guardia Civil patrol boat off the coast of Huelva in the early hours of 17-18 August 2026.[1] The joint operation paired the Tax Agency’s Customs Surveillance Service with the Civil Guard’s Huelva Provincial Maritime Service.[1] Officers returned fire to repel the attack, but the smugglers’ boat escaped after the patrol boat broke down during the chase.[1] During the pursuit the crew made dangerous evasive manoeuvres and threw part of their hashish cargo into the sea to hinder the official vessels.[1][2]

On the morning of 20 August officers intercepted the narcolancha and a second support boat on the high seas, arresting nine crew members and seizing 5,926 kilograms of hashish and both vessels.[1] A tenth suspect, wounded in the exchange of gunfire and abandoned by his companions on the coast of Cádiz, was arrested and taken to hospital in Puerto Real.[1] The investigation remains open to clarify each detainee’s role in the attack on the officers and in the wider criminal organisation.[1][2]