Spain’s Customs Surveillance Service (SVA) seized 5,400 kg of hashish resin from a fishing vessel off Isla Cristina, in Huelva province, in an operation announced on 4 February 2023.[1] Officers found 150 bales of hashish in the hold of the Portuguese-flagged vessel Praia de Montegordo.[1][2]
Night-time transfer intercepted
The operation began in the early hours of 1 February, when a customs aircraft spotted an inflatable boat with powerful engines running without lights about 15 miles off Isla Cristina and heading for the coast.[1][2] Air and naval units then shadowed the speedboat in secret until it came alongside the fishing vessel and the two crews began moving the cargo.[1] The Huelva-based SVA patrol boat Alcatraz boarded the fishing vessel just as the transfer was under way.[1][2]
The four crew members, one Portuguese and three Spanish nationals, were arrested on suspicion of smuggling and crimes against public health.[1][2] The vessel was taken to the port of Huelva, where a full search confirmed the 150 bales weighing 5,400 kg.[1]
Case handed to the courts
The drugs, the detainees, the vessel and the rest of the evidence were placed at the disposal of the duty judge of Ayamonte Investigating Court No. 4.[1] The Tax Agency said the investigation remained open and further arrests could not be ruled out.[1]
