Civil Guard Boat Chase Leads To Mallorca Beach Drugs Bust
The Spanish authorities have release dramatic video footage of a police patrol boat chasing a rigid inflatable boat carrying 1,200 kilogrammes of hashish off the coast of Mallorca.
Footage filmed from a helicopter shows how the drug traffickers raced towards a sandy beach with the Spanish Civil Guard in hot pursuit on 21st April.
After jumping off the boat, they were filmed as they dumped their rucksacks feet away from sunbathers and ran through streets in a bid to evade capture.
The police later revealed that the boat had come from North Africa and that the three men on board were eventually arrested.
In a statement released on 22nd April, the Civil Guard said: “The Civil Guard in the Balearic Islands intercepted a rubber boat early yesterday morning while it was unloading on the island of Majorca, detaining three people and seizing 31 bales of hashish pollen weighing 1,200 kilogrammes.
“As part of the investigations carried out by the Civil Guard in the Balearic Islands, it was learned that a rubber boat was heading at high speed towards the coast of Mallorca from North Africa, carrying numerous packages that could contain narcotic substances, so a police operation was established to intercept it.
“During the operation, around 4am, a boat with two high-powered engines was observed unloading at Cala Sa Nau and two off-road vehicles were seen on the sand loading the bales. The boat, upon realising the intervention of the Civil Guard, quickly fled out to sea, leaving behind numerous items on the sand, including the bales of hashish and 68 jerrycans of gasoline, as well as a large quantity of food, all arranged with the aim of reaching their destination.
“On the morning of the same day, the 21st, the Civil Guard of the Balearic Islands activated a device composed of the Provincial Maritime Service, along with the helicopter and patrols of Citizen Security, to conduct an aerial, maritime and land search of the area near the scene, since the alleged perpetrators did not have enough fuel to make long-distance transfers.
“At one point, the agents observed a pneumatic boat that coincided in all its characteristics with the one that made the discharge in the early hours of the morning. Upon noticing the police presence, the boat started quickly heading towards the coast and got stranded on the beach of Cala Gran.
The three occupants ran away but were apprehended the same morning.”
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