Spanish police seize two tonnes of drugs after high-speed boat chase

The chase lasted for five hours and spanned 100 nautical miles.

Police officers nearing the coast of Valencia, Spain, have arrested five people with 2000 kilos on a 'narcolancha’ - a speedboat specifically used within the narcotics industry - after a five hour high speed chase on the Mediterranean sea. 

During the chase, those arrested tried to dispose of the drugs by throwing the large bales overboard. In total, a total of 66 bales totalling two tonnes of marijuana were seized by the authorities, in addition to various satellite phones and computer devices.

The boat was spotted by the National Police helicopter when it was sailing about 80 miles off the coast of Cartagena, and was eventually approached by a Customs Surveillance patrol. The chase lasted for five hours and spanned 100 nautical miles. 

The video, supplied by the Spanish Police, shows a small speed boat darting across the ocean with five people aboard. They are seen throwing cubes of a white substance - understood to be hashish - into the sea. 

The boat then seems to pull to a stop as the paths between the police and the drug-carrying vessel cross. A brief conversation appears to ensue between the groups. 

We then see the tonnes of drugs be loaded onto the police vessel, and those who were previously in possession of the substances be arrested. 

Spain, tied with France, has the highest rate of cannabis use in Europe.

Seizing of maijuana plants by Spanish Authorities has soared by almost 600% since 2013.  It is considered to be a prevalent problem in concerns to drug traffickijng, with more than half of all arrests made for drug trafficking being linked to marijuana. 

According to the Interior Ministry. “[The trafficking of marijuana] has been rising progressively, with a significant spike in 2017 and a steady upwards trend since then,” according to investigators from both the National Police and the Civil Guard. “In the last year alone, it has risen by 90%.”