Breathtaking Operation in Algarve: 5 Tons of Marijuana Seized in the Guadiana River

Over the weekend, events reminiscent of detective movies took place in the waters of the Guadiana River, at the eastern end of the Algarve. The fuse was lit when the Spanish Guardia Civil noticed suspicious activity in the Azinhal region. Immediately afterwards, a very strict operation was launched jointly by land, sea and air on the Vila Real de Santo António and Castro Marim line.

Seeing the police in front of them, the suspects first tried to escape on foot, but when they saw that it did not work, they activated cars and boats. GNR teams managed to intercept the escaping boat with their naval units. 7 people, all foreign nationals, aged between 21 and 39, were sent behind bars; In addition, another person thought to be involved in this business was put under radar tracking.

River Chase and Captures

The balance sheet of the operation is quite heavy. During the searches, approximately 5.32 tons of hashish in 2,133 packages were seized. In addition to the drugs, 3 vehicles, 2 boats, a gun with ammunition, 6 mobile phones and more than a thousand euros in cash were also seized by the police.

In fact, this operation was a continuation of another tension that took place the night before. When maritime patrols tried to stop another suspicious ship, the ship's occupants attempted to ram the patrol boat in an extremely aggressive manner and then fled towards the Canela estuary on the Spanish side. After these people abandoned the boat at Ayamonte marina and followed the terrain on foot, the big raid operation on Saturday became inevitable. With the joint work of GNR's Coastal and Border Control Unit and the Spanish gendarmerie, a serious blow was dealt to the smuggling network in the region.

Source: Portugal Resident (Author: Michael Bruxo / Photo: Bruno Filipe Pires / Open Media)