Spain’s Guardia Civil is mourning the deaths of two officers killed during a high-speed pursuit of suspected drug smugglers off the coast of Andalusia, as police unions warn the tragedy ‘could have been avoided’.
The fatal collision happened on the Atlantic side of the Strait of Gibraltar during an anti-drug trafficking operation near Huelva. The Guardia Civil confirmed that two officers lost their lives after a 60-metre fast interceptor vessel collided with a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) during the chase.
According to the Guardia Civil officers’ union AUGC, the incident occurred at around 8am roughly 70 nautical miles off the Huelva coast. One of the officers, identified as 55-year-old Germán Pérez, died at the scene, while a second officer, Jerónimo, later succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash. Two other officers were seriously injured and required medical treatment.
The union said the deadly accident was ‘foreseeable’ and blamed longstanding operational shortcomings that it claims had repeatedly been raised with the authorities.
‘This is not an unforeseen accident. It is the direct consequence of a documented risk situation, analyzed and formally reported to the administration, which chose not to act,’ AUGC claimed in a statement.
AUGC said it had previously demanded tougher safety protocols for maritime anti-drug operations, including minimum four-officer boarding crews, restrictions on the use of RIB boats for active interceptions, and revised procedures for deploying the large pursuit vessels involved in operations against traffickers.
Southwestern Andalusia has become one of Europe’s principal entry points for cocaine trafficking, with criminal groups increasingly using the coastline around Huelva following intensified police pressure in the Campo de Gibraltar area.
Large quantities of cocaine are transported from South America towards the Canary Islands before being transferred at sea onto high-speed boats which then head for river estuaries and waterways along the Gulf of Cádiz.
‘Drug trafficking didn’t choose Huelva by chance. Increasing police pressure in the Campo de Gibraltar pushed criminal organizations westward, solidifying the Huelva coast as one of the main entry points for drugs into Europe. The Huelva Command operates with nearly 300 fewer officers than it should have, a deficit of close to 20% of its theoretical staff,’ AUGC said in a statement.
The union also highlighted comments made recently by a veteran drug smuggler during a podcast interview with Spanish influencer Mowlihawk.
‘The Guardia Civil officers are helpless, they can’t handle it,’ the longtime smuggler said on camera, adding that he expected penalties for traffickers caught at sea to amount to between one and three years in prison.
The scale of the trafficking networks operating in the region was underscored this week when Spanish authorities seized 30 tonnes of cocaine aboard a small freighter near the Canary Islands — a haul believed to be a world record. ALSO READ: Spain intercepts massive cocaine shipment off Gran Canaria, crew arrested.
Investigators suspect the shipment was destined to be transferred onto speedboats operated by Andalusian trafficking gangs before continuing onwards to mainland Spain and the rest of Europe.
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🔴 Los titulares de #CSN1 | 8 de mayo
— CanalSurNoticias (@CSurNoticias) May 8, 2026
Un guardia civil muere y otros dos resultan heridos de gravedad en una persecución a una narcolancha en Huelva
Síguelo aquí también👇
🌐 https://t.co/UfWTgPVITy pic.twitter.com/SpITTLm813
Consternados por las informaciones que nos llegan desde Huelva sobre un posible accidente en acto de servicio.
— AUGC Guardia Civil 🇪🇸 (@AUGC_Comunica) May 8, 2026
Todo apunta a que un compañero del Servicio Marítimo habría fallecido y otros dos estarían heridos de gravedad.
Esperamos confirmación oficial, pero desde AUGC… pic.twitter.com/8Q2rpXubHh
🖤Esta mañana hemos despedido con profunda tristeza a nuestros compañeros, Jerónimo y Germán, fallecidos ayer en acto de servicio al colisionar dos embarcaciones del servicio marítimo cuando perseguían una narcolancha en las costas de Huelva.
— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) May 9, 2026
Ambos han recibido la Cruz del… pic.twitter.com/Qncc7KRviC
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