Spain’s Guardia Civil police have arrested a 32-year-old man for the death of two police officers in February, when a speedboat suspected to belong to drug smugglers smashed into their patrol craft, the force said in a statement on Thursday.
The incident occurred on 9 February when the Guardia Civil craft was on patrol identifying speedboats spotted in the harbour at Barbate, near the major southern port of Cádiz (Andalusia). Video footage showed a speedboat slamming into the craft in the port’s waters.
The Guardia Civil said in their statement that it had arrested one suspect and asked a local court to issue international arrest warrants for three people who were in the speedboat, due to the belief that the others have been outside Spain since shortly after the incident.
Two other members of the six-person crew were hurt, the Guardia Civil said in February.
Spain’s coast near the Strait of Gibraltar is a hotspot for drug smuggling from Morocco into Europe.
#OperacionesGC | Detenido el presunto autor del asesinato de dos agentes de la #GuardiaCivil en Barbate #Cádiz.
▶️ Los hechos tuvieron lugar el pasado 9 de febrero en la bocana del puerto del municipio gaditano, donde también resultaron heridos otros agentes.
▶️ Identificadas 3… pic.twitter.com/xglABncEMh
— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) September 19, 2024
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