When it comes to possible narco smugglers, the seas can suddenly become an unfriendly place. Case in point, this video that appears to show a go-fast boat being chased and almost hit from the rear by a Spanish Customs Surveillance Service high-speed interceptor boat, before it makes another run at the smugglers and actually rams into them.
Check out the video below:
The details behind the video are unclear, but some have mentioned that this is a tactic used to disable the smuggler’s outboard motors. Regardless, the move the skipper of that interceptor pulled was very bold, to say the least. All I could hear thundering in my ears while watching it was this:
The ’80s hit action detective show was known for its fast-boat scenes, exotic cars, big bright colors, totally ’80s fashion, melodramatic montages, and its heavy synth soundtrack. The latter has created its own legion of new fans more interested in the retro feel of it all than anything else.
There was also the subsequent bizarre Hulk Hogan-helmed show Thunder In Paradise that involved a stealth cigarette boat that would have been totally at home in the scene that occurred off the Spanish coast.
Back to reality, fast-boat interceptors have remained a critical tool for taking down drug runners trying to race their contraband onto a country’s shores. They often work with other assets, including helicopters, to better execute a successful bust.
As technology has evolved and the cartels have invested into enhanced capabilities that can, in some cases, outpace law enforcement’s own equipment, relying on airborne assets has become even more critical, as has acquiring ever more powerful interceptor boats. Spain’s Customs Surveillance Service has an array of interceptor boats of various sizes and capabilities that concentrates heavily on drug interdiction.
The scourge of drug smuggling into Spain has resulted in a remarkable shift in recent years from the common use of fast boats, which is still very much a thing, to the appearance of large narco-submarines packed with cocaine. Up until 2019, this type of craft was a staple of smuggling in the Americas, not Europe, but that has since changed. While speed is certainly important for intercepting these hard to detect semi-submerged assets, actionable intelligence, and military-like sea control and anti-submarine capabilities have become more important.
Regardless, the video certainly shows that the Spanish Customs Surveillance Service’s fast-boat teams certainly mean business and are not shy about getting a possible smuggler’s attention, let alone stopping them dead in the water via using their own vessel as an impact weapon.
Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com