Overview
- A high‑sea operation about 185 km off the Canary Islands on Tuesday, Sept. 1 seized more than two tonnes of cocaine after traffickers opened fire and deliberately rammed beneath a Guardia Civil patrol boat, causing a major hull breach that required helicopter dewatering to save the vessel and led to the suspects' detention.
- In a separate pursuit near Cabo Cope in Águilas, Murcia, a fast narcolancha rammed a patrol boat and injured three maritime agents, one of whom required five stitches, after which two occupants of the smuggling boat were arrested and the officers began recovering.
- Authorities and the union say traffickers use high‑powered twin engines and carry multiple jerrycans of fuel to refuel at sea, and that interceptions are most dangerous when crews approach stopped boats to board them, with helicopters often used to locate and assist maritime units.
- The Asociación Unificada de Guardias Civiles (AUGC) described the incidents as an escalation that exposes aging patrol craft, inadequate protective gear and understaffing, and it is demanding fleet renewal, high‑buoyancy ballistic vests, increased personnel and official recognition for the most affected zones.
- The events raise pressure on central authorities to reassign maritime, air and rescue resources to coastal regions beyond Ceuta, and they highlight growing physical and psychological risks for sailors who now face ramming, gunfire and near‑sinking episodes on routine patrols.