The GNR’s Coastal Control Unit seized a boat on the Guadiana river and arrested a Spanish national at dawn on Friday, as an astonishing 2,800 kilos of hashish were on board.
The GNR said that a 38-year-old man was detained after the vessel, a 10-metre rig, was found to have 85 bales of hashish on board. The arrest was made near Foz de Odeleite, Castro Marim.
The powerful boat, with three outboard motors, was spotted at dawn today as it sped towards the Guadiana River. A coastal surveillance operation, with the support of the Integrated System of Surveillance, Command and Control (SIVICC), tracked the boat with thermal surveillance cameras and radar systems.
After the interception team was released on an equally high-speed craft, "the suspected vessel was intercepted, carrying 85 bales of hashish, totaling 2,800 kilograms of drugs," the rather gleeful statement reads.
According to the GNR, there were suspicious movements of vehicles and people on the Spanish side of the Guadiana riverbank, "the Spanish authorities were contacted and later arrested a Moroccan in Villablanca, Spain, suspected of being involved.
The skipper has been detained by the GNR and will be up before the Court in Vila Real de Santo António as soon as possible.
