Eight arrested after two Guardia Civil officers killed in drug boat chase

A video shared on several Spanish media sites, as well as social media, showed a nighttime chase in the harbour at Barbate, near the major southern port of Cádiz (Andalusia), during which a drug boat runs over a Civil Guard patrol boat.

The Guardia Civil on Saturday first said that they had arrested ‘five people related to yesterday’s attack on a patrol vessel, causing the death of two agents and wounding two others’.

They said that ‘three [of those arrested] are crew members of the drug boat and two other people who had travelled by vehicle to Sotogrande to pick up the crew members’.

Several hours later, the force announced ‘three other passengers who had fled the boat’ were detained.

The AUGC Guardia Civil, an association representing the police, condemned the ‘tragic events’ and called for an ‘in-depth inquiry’.

The sea off Cádiz has seen several confrontations and major drug seizures by customs and police.

Spain is a major transit point for narcotics arriving in Europe from North Africa.

🔴Una narcolancha arrolla y mata a dos guardias civiles en el puerto de Barbate

Según ha podido saber EL ESPAÑOL, uno de los agentes era del Grupo de Acción Rápida y el otro pertenecería al Grupo Especial de Actividades Subacuáticas. Ambos tenían entre 30 y 40 años de edad pic.twitter.com/E98JnkTpDZ

— EL ESPAÑOL (@elespanolcom) February 10, 2024

La @guardiacivil detiene a 5 personas relacionadas con la embestida ayer a una patrullera causando la muerte de dos agentes y provocando heridas a otros dos. 3 son tripulantes de la narcolancha y otros dos personas que se habían desplazado en vehículo a Sotogrande para recoger a… pic.twitter.com/zlFRfwl8c5

— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) February 10, 2024