MADRID: Spanish authorities warned jihad terrorist groups were financing their operations with massive shipping of cannabis from north Africa to the south and east of Spain, southern France and the west coast of Italy.
Spanish customs officers are working closely with their counterparts in France, Portugal, Italy and the USA to combat the smuggling rackets, and say the most recent intercepted was on January 24 this year. It was a fishing boat bearing an Italian flag, which was caught 138 nautical miles south-east of Cartagena (Murcia) carrying 8.9 tonnes of hash with a street value of €14 million.
Police believe the money amassed from the smuggled drugs and weapons, which was being sent to Morocco, was destined for financing jihad cells. Since early 2013, the European ‘coastal coalition’ has intercepted 18 boats carrying cannabis and one transporting cocaine, most of which were en route to Spain from Morocco. Boats have been used ever since France commenced its military operations in Mali, which meant the previous ‘Sahel route’ through the desert was no longer viable.
Although the most recent capture was a boat with an Italian flag and the one before that, Portuguese – the use of European vessels thought to be an attempt to avoid suspicion – most of the others bore standards from African countries. The crafts were generally small, cheap and in a poor condition, barely seaworthy, say customs officials. Very few crafts which leave Morocco head directly to European ports, since it would be difficult for such large cargoes of drugs to be unloaded there without arousing suspicion. To this end, coastguard authorities say, they usually stop off in Libya or Egypt before heading on to France, Spain, Italy and sometimes, Greece and Turkey. Spanish authorities have stopped and searched nine crafts in two years, only one of which appeared to be heading directly for Spain and which was spotted 50 miles south-east of Cartagena with six Moroccan crew members, who were arrested.
A boat intercepted at the end of November, 40 miles south of Almería, was carrying four gas bottles ready to explode – two of them were blown up, injuring two of the crew members, and Spanish customs officials managed to put the fire out. Another Egyptian craft was deliberately sunk off the coast of Sardinia and Italian authorities only managed to seize 1.6 tonnes of the cannabis on board out of the total of 15 tonnes the boat was carrying. Even though Spanish coastguard workers are active in the European anti-smuggling network, a recent change in national legislation – in the shape of the Law of Universal Justice – meant over 50 smugglers ended up being released because none of them were Spanish, they were not heading for Spain and were not in Spanish waters at the time they were caught by authorities from the country.
The National Court said Spain did not therefore have the legal power to capture, imprison and try them. Later, the Supreme Court of Spain overruled this decision and ratified the country’s jurisdiction to intercept boats and arrest their crew ‘provided international treaties recognised Spain’s competence’ in this matter, referring to the 1988 Vienna Convention and the 1982 Montego Bay Convention. Although the Supreme Court ordered the 50 or so released smugglers to be arrested again, most have not been traced.
