Murcia's new Guardia Civil patrol boat still can't catch the fastest drug trafficking boats

The vessel was brought in to strengthen coastal surveillance, but guards say it cannot keep up with boats capable of reaching 130 kilometres per hour
 

A new Guardia Civil patrol boat has arrived in Cartagena to strengthen the fight against drug trafficking and people-smuggling along the Murcia coast. However, the association representing Guardia Civil officers says it doesn't have the speed needed to catch some of the boats being used by criminal gangs.

The vessel, Río Tordera, was sent from Barcelona after the Guardia Civil's only high-speed patrol boat in the Region was taken out of service because of a breakdown.

The new boat can reach a maximum speed of around 30 knots, approximately 55 kilometres per hour. According to the Asociación Unificada de Guardias Civiles (AUGC), that is nowhere near enough to catch some of the powerful boats now being used by trafficking organisations.

Some drug trafficking boats are fitted with three or four 300-horsepower engines and can reach speeds of more than 70 knots, around 130 kilometres per hour.

The problem became particularly visible last week when a large boat carrying 62 people arrived at Cala del Barco in Cartagena in broad daylight. The arrival was watched by people on the beach, with the boat managing to reach the coast without being intercepted.

AUGC says the issue goes beyond simply having a boat that can go fast enough. Officers also need vessels that can cope with the dangerous manoeuvres used by traffickers when they realise they are being pursued.

He is also calling for at least two high-speed patrol boats, arguing that one vessel would not be enough to cover the Murcia coastline. As he pointed out, a fast patrol boat could be stationed in Águilas while trafficking boats enter the coast around Calblanque.

The association says the Guardia Civil's existing fast vessel, Río Cervera, has been out of service for some time and has already exceeded its working life.

The growing use of fast, powerful boats has also prompted calls from Murcia's regional government for more Guardia Civil officers, patrol boats and surveillance technology.

The issue has now become a political dispute too, with the regional and central governments calling for greater coordination over the arrival of migrants and the fight against organised trafficking.

AUGC says the priority now is to equip officers with patrol boats capable of matching the speed and power of the gangs' vessels.

Read also:Twelve Arrested In Massive Drug Network Take-down In San Javier And San Pedro

Image:SERVICIO MARITIMO DE LA GUARDIA CIVIL (SEMAR)