The latest operation targeting drug trafficking has produced significant consequences across Portugal, Andalusia, and other parts of the peninsula. In Galicia, authorities report striking figures with dozens of arrests and a large number of boats intercepted. Official sources confirm that the Civil Guard’s multi-agency operation against the production network of narcolanchas, coordinated from a Vigo court, concluded with 60 detainees, including one person located in Portugal, and the seizure of 47 ships. [Source: Civil Guard press office attribution]
Code-named Operational Endurance, the initiative was steered by the Civil Guard’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Team, known as EDOA, in collaboration with the Andalusian Anti-Drug Trafficking Coordination Board and the Portuguese Judicial Police. The operation began in February of the previous year and has since unfolded through a lengthy investigative phase that spanned multiple jurisdictions. [Source: Interagency coordination notes]
During initial actions, authorities located a warehouse in Vigo within the Cotogrande industrial area where EAV type high-speed boats were being constructed. These vessels were identified as potential tools for ferrying large quantities of cannabis through the Strait of Gibraltar, with later plans to move the drugs into Europe’s markets. [Source: On-site inspection report]
Subsequent inquiries revealed a highly structured framework covering the entire production lifecycle from the earliest stages of vessel fabrication to final assembly. The operation linked the Galician region to northern Portugal, highlighting a seamless chain of production and distribution that extended beyond local borders. [Source: Investigative findings]
The investigation also uncovered shipping companies involved in transporting boats to secure facilities in other provinces, including Toledo and Seville. Civil Guard assessments describe the organization as employing members with advanced expertise in manufacturing, inspection, and the final outfitting of the boats. [Source: Prosecutorial notes]
In a notable development, at the start of June authorities intercepted a tonne of cannabis shipments sent by one of the narcolancha operations on the shores of El Vigía in Huelva, Mazagón. This interception underscored the reach and operational tempo of the trafficking network. [Source: Maritime interception report]
arrests and searches
Within the framework of the policing operation, 59 arrests were executed across several provinces including Pontevedra, Ourense, Barcelona, Tarragona, Toledo, Cádiz, Huelva, Málaga, Seville, and Almería. A European Arrest Warrant was issued for Portugal by the trial court, leading to the arrest of a principal suspect on Portuguese soil. [Source: Judicial coordination communiqués]
A wide series of searches followed in residences within Pontevedra Province, in warehouses across northern Portugal including Ponte de Lima, Valença, Paredes de Coura, and Monçao, and in Spanish provinces such as Toledo, Seville, Huelva, Girona, and Barcelona. These efforts yielded substantial evidence to support the case. [Source: Search operation logs]
Law enforcement records indicate a large stock of seized assets and equipment, including 47 large EAV hulls and moulds, engines ranging from 300 to 400 horsepower, tractor heads, boat trailers, along with substantial documentation and computer equipment. Several of the captured ships had been constructed and were ready for deployment to introduce significant narcotics quantities. [Source: Property seizure inventory]
More than a dozen of the ships were already built and ready to be used for large-scale narcotics introductions, with plans to sail imminently. These findings illuminated the high level of preparedness and the scale of the operation facing investigators. [Source: Vessel readiness report]
appearances
Among the detainees linked to Operation Endurance, eight individuals were arrested in Galicia during a recent session, with a ninth released after appearance in court. Vigo’s investigative court assumed custody of seven suspects, comprising five men and two women, while one additional person was released under immediate conditions. [Source: Court intake records]
Judicial authorities ordered three detainees to remain in custody, while five were released, one of whom was required to appear before the court every two weeks. On Thursday, seven more detainees were summoned for court appearances, with judges set to decide their status later in the day. [Source: Court orders and schedules]