Drug trafficking has become a daily reality on the Andalusian coast, with Almería serving as a key hub for consolidated logistical networks for drug and human trafficking. The ramming attacks by drug-speedboats against patrol vessels of Vigilancia Aduanera and the Guardia Civil represent an increasingly violent challenge, leaving beaches and natural spaces littered with debris.
The escalation of violence has come at a significant human cost, highlighted by the deaths of civil guards in Barbate and Huelva. These incidents have underscored the unprecedented severity of organized crime's pressure on the Andalusian coast.
The scale of this phenomenon has transcended national borders, entering the security agenda of the European Union. The European Parliament will hold a session focused on the security challenges posed by drug trafficking in Andalusia, considered the EU's southern border. The European People's Party has promoted an initiative to declare the fight against this threat a European 'strategic priority'.
The debate in the European Chamber will focus on strengthening the protection of the EU's external borders and increasing support for the State Security Forces and Corps patrolling the Andalusian coastline. The disparity in resources between law enforcement agents and criminal networks is a central theme of this initiative, aiming for a coordinated response at the community level.
Concurrently, efforts are being made to tighten the noose on the logistical and financial structure of these organizations. 'Petaqueo,' the refueling of drug-speedboats at sea, was criminalized in the Penal Code in March, carrying penalties of up to five years in prison. The Special Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office of Andalusia has also requested exhaustive documentation of violence episodes by drug-speedboats against official vessels, with the aim of prosecuting them as acts of piracy.
Professional associations of the Guardia Civil and police unions in Almería applaud the adaptation of the legal framework but insist that penal reforms will be insufficient if the units combating drug trafficking continue to lack the necessary resources.
