Still no let-up in coastal surveillance by police

OPERACION INDALO 2015, now concluded, intercepted 3,343 illegal immigrants at sea and seized 23,096 kilos of hashish.

Maritime action was carried out by Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Iceland and Finland although police forces in Romania, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland and Norway also participated.  The operation was funded by Frontex, the European Union’s frontiers agency.

Indalo 2015’s principal aim was to coordinate effective police control at sea and in the air to prevent people-trafficking. Action was also taken against drug-smuggling, maritime pollution, illegal fishing and cross-border crime in general. 

Led and coordinated by the Guardia Civil off the coast of Almeria, Malaga, Granada, Algeciras and Murcia, the operation began on June 1 and ended on October 31.  

The Guardia Civil impounded 269 boats and arrested 21 people traffickers, making a further 27 arrests for drugs-related offences.

The Moroccans and Algerians contributed fruitfully to the operation, said the Guardia Civil: “They are fully involved in combating illegal immigration, activating established protocols and exchanging information. In fact Morocco rescued 1,413 immigrants during Operacion Indalo and Algeria another 20.”

Operacion Indalo also included a month-long opportunity within the Closeye Project framework, testing new technology and the efficacy of drones in frontier surveillance, the Guardia Civil revealed.