The Civil Guard has 13 patrol boats in Cádiz to fight against 'narco' and is renewing the fleet with another eight

Interior had six boats when two agents died in Barbate, but the storm forced a boat to be moved by road.

MADRID, 13 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Civil Guard has 13 patrol boats in the province of Cádiz and is renewing its fleet with another eight vessels to combat drug trafficking and organized crime in the area of ​​application of the Campo de Gibraltar Special Security Plan, which covers six provinces, from Huelva to Almería and including Seville.

Of the eight new high-speed patrol boats in tender for a total value of 18.5 million euros, two have already been delivered in recent months to reinforce the fleet in Algeciras and Huelva, according to government sources informing Europa Press.

In addition, three patrol boats are currently in the manufacturing phase and the remaining three, worth 7.5 million euros, are in the bidding process.

The supporting report of these last three vessels alludes to the "aged" state of a third of the Civil Guard patrol boats, exceeding 20 years old, when the useful life of this type of naval means is 15 years, as well as that the material would not withstand attacks from drug boats, as tragically happened in Barbate last Friday, leaving two agents dead and eight detained, six in provisional prison for the double murder.

According to the aforementioned sources, the new patrol boats are equipped with modern navigation systems and are prepared for high-speed navigation. In addition, they are made with more resistant materials to maneuver more easily and, if necessary, have a better chance of resisting the impact of other boats.

In February 2023, the Civil Guard launched the 'Río Flumen' patrol boat, presented by the owner as the "fastest police intervention vessel in the world" as it can reach top speeds of 60 knots, since it has two 1,800 horsepower engines, almost triple the number of the Armed Institute's boats.

The colonel of the Algeciras Command, Francisco Almansa, highlighted that this type of boat has great maneuverability and allows it to "compete in speed" with the drug boats that operate in the Strait and the Andalusian coast, in addition to "gaining security and stability." for the crew.

At the press conference after the Council of Ministers this Tuesday, the Government spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, closed ranks in defense of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, ensuring that "if there is someone qualified" to combat the problem of drug trafficking is him.

"He has demonstrated a career, a journey and a work beyond any discussion," Pilar Alegría pointed out about Grande-Marlaska, who a day before ruled out resigning and assured that the personal and material means already exist to confront drug trafficking, referring to the fourth edition of the Special Security Plan for Campo de Gibraltar, which was presented on Friday, hours before the tragic event in Barbate.

Grande-Marlaska has also separated the death of the two Civil Guard agents from the lack of media denounced by associations of the Armed Institute and unions of the National Police, which have demanded their resignation.

These police organizations report that there were five boats inoperative due to breakdowns, but sources from the Ministry of the Interior and the Civil Guard point out that, when the Barbate tragedy occurred, there were six other patrol boats available in Algeciras.

These official sources add that in Barbate a zodiac measuring about six meters in length was mobilized to be transported by road to the port of this Cadiz town due to the storm, which prevented the patrol boats from navigating.

That is to say, they assure that the poor state of the sea prevented the use of the patrol boats of greater power and size which, as they emphasize, were fully operational last Friday in Algeciras, so it was decided to use a smaller vessel and transfer it by road to Barbate.

The operation was mounted with four agents from the GEAS, specialists in underwater activities, and two agents from the GAR, the rapid action group specialized in high-risk interventions and which was key in the fight against ETA. In fact, the repeated attacks of one of the six drug boats, the one piloted by 'Kiko el Cabra', caused the death in the waters of the port of Barbate of two agents, one from the GEAS and the other from the GAR.

Both the Government in the press conference of the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of the Interior itself have highlighted the results of the Special Security Plan for Campo de Gibraltar which, since 2018, has left a balance of 1,668 tons of drugs seized, as well as 19,907 detained or investigated and 1,421 vessels seized.

In the six Andalusian provinces where the anti-narco plan is implemented, more than 79 million euros have been invested: 39 million in the growth of police personnel and operational reinforcements and 40 million in the reinforcement of operational and intelligence capabilities. , as well as the material and technological means of the National Police and Civil Guard.

The department headed by Fernando Grande-Marlaska has recalled that it created the OCON-Sur in 2018 and that, subsequently, it assigned the 150 agents commissioned in this structure to the different judicial police units of the commands, therefore denying that it has been "deactivated." no coordinating body". The fight against 'narco' is currently coordinated by the Regional Center for Analysis and Intelligence against Drug Trafficking (CRAIN).

Government sources have reiterated this Tuesday the different initiatives to confront 'narco' in Campo de Gibraltar and the Andalusian provinces, such as the creation of twelve new courts in Cádiz or ten positions for prosecutors. They also cite that Sepblac has strengthened financial control, receiving more than 1,600 communications since 2018 for indications of suspicious money laundering operations, one of the keys to dismantling these criminal organizations.

Among the measures, the Executive of Pedro Sánchez has mentioned the 450 million euros to promote active employment policies and the direct subsidy of 50 million euros to the Government of Andalusia, as well as the creation of eight mentor classrooms for those over 18 years of age. in the area of ​​education and vocational training, an initiative that benefits 310 people.