The Guardia Civil intercepted an inflatable rib carrying 35 bales of hashish on board yesterday, after the Integrated External Surveillance System (SIVE) located a suspicious echo 35 nautical miles south of Gran Canaria. After communicating with the Canary Islands Regional Coordination Center (CCRC), it mobilized the Rio Segura Oceanic ship (the largest of the ships of the Civil Guard, 73 meters long) for its interception.
The Rio Segura was conducting maritime surveillance patrols in international waters near the Canary archipelago, looking for boats with irregular immigrants on board, of which there were several alerts this weekend, when it was dispatched to co-ordinates of the rib.
After two intense hours of searching, at around 4:20pm, the Río Segura crew were able to intercept the inflatable boat, with the help of auxiliary operational boats they deployed, and found it was carrying 35 bales of hashish. They arrested and brought on board two people from the rib, and proceeded to the Port of Arguineguín in the darkness of yesterday evening.
