Story By: Amanda Morales, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
This is the moment a cargo of drugs arrives in Spain from a speed boat and results in a high-speed chase of a lorry by police cars and a helicopter.
The night-vision video was filmed by a police surveillance unit which detected a suspicious vessel approximately 24 miles south of the coast of Almería, a municipality belonging to the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain.
According to the official statement from the Spanish Tax Agency and the Spanish National Police, the operation lasted more than eight hours and ended with the arrest of an individual of Moroccan nationality identified as S.E.O. who has a police record, and the seizure of approximately 1,850 kg (4,078 lbs) of hashish.
According to the official report, in the late afternoon of July 6th, an aerial surveillance unit belonging to customs detected a boat without lights on approaching the coast at high speed.
The customs unit notified the National Police who reportedly began preparations for the capture of the alleged traffickers while the officers on the helicopter continued monitoring the boat.
The boat reached the shore around 5am on 7th July, where a large group of people were reportedly crouched in the brush waiting to carry out the transfer of the cargo to the small lorry.
According to police, the boat was manned by four individuals who, with the help of the other individuals began unloading a large number of bales normally used for hashish trafficking.
After loading the lorry, a smaller vehicle can be seen driving away and the individuals can be seen running away out of sight.
After the exchange, the boat retreated towards the Moroccan coast and was pursued by the patrol boat ‘Colimbo’ while the lorry was followed by the helicopter ‘Argos’.
Several national police vehicles were waiting at a checkpoint for the arrival of the van, after which a high-speed chase ensues.
The images show how one of the police cars overtakes the lorry and doesn’t let it pass again.
In a desperate attempt to escape, the van driver repeatedly drives through static police devices and guard rails trying to avoid the police, causing two wheels to explode.
The driver then flees on foot, although he was arrested soon after, according to the police statement.
The detainee has been charged with smuggling, crimes against public health and road safety, and an attack on the integrity of law enforcement officers.
Inside the van authorities report finding 58 bales of burlap and raffia weighing approximately 1,850 kilos (4,078 lbs).
The investigation remains open.
