The new directive, communicated to the Civil Guard, allows for the classification of ramming and violent maneuvers by drug trafficking crews as piracy. This legal change eliminates the need to prove a profit motive or the intent to obtain loot, focusing on the danger of attacks against officers and maritime safety.
Professional organizations in Almeria have welcomed the news, although they insist that criminal hardening is insufficient without an increase in personnel and material resources. Union representatives emphasize that police pressure in other areas, such as the Campo de Gibraltar, has caused a shift in criminal activity towards the Almeria coastline.
“"The violence displayed by these organizations cannot continue to be considered a mere incident associated with drug trafficking."
In addition to the criminal route, the strategy against drug trafficking includes controlling the so-called 'petaqueo', an activity consisting of supplying fuel to drug boats. This conduct is now classified as a catastrophic risk crime following the entry into force of Organic Law 1/2026, of April 8.
Officers are calling for greater collaboration with gas stations and a review of the current police model. The lack of human resources and adequate vessels remains, according to the unions, the main obstacle to ensuring safety in operations against organized crime in the province.
