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Blocks of cocaine thrown into the water between Ibiza and Alicante

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Officials from the Tax Agency have seized 34 kilos of cocaine that had been thrown into the Ibiza Channel, in the waters between the eastern end of the island and Cabo de la Nao, to be collected at sea by an organisation dedicated to drug trafficking.

In a statement, the Tax Agency explained on Wednesday that with this intervention, which took place on January 20, “an attempted shipment was thwarted” since the transfer of the drugs was avoided using the ‘drop off’ method, which consists of throwing the merchandise from a merchant ship so that it is picked up by smaller vessels, near the destination country.

The Palma-based Customs Surveillance patrol boat Paiño discovered the drugs when it was sailing on a preventive service on a regular maritime route.

The agents observed two packages floating in the sea tied by a rope, which were adrift, and they picked them up from the water, discovering that they were wrapped in black plastic and duct tape, and that inside they contained 30 plastic-wrapped packages.

The packages tested positive for cocaine in the ‘narcotest’ and the packages had a gross weight of 34 kilos, so their sale on the black market would have exceeded 2 million euros.

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The Tax Agency explains that the ‘drop-off’ technique consists of “corrupt personnel” from the crew of merchant ships that make an ordinary route “throwing floating packages with narcotics into the sea”, which are later recovered from the sea by some organization based in the areas where the drugs are destined. It also highlights that in August 2018, 334 kilos were seized on board the motor vessel ‘HCH-X’, whose five crew members had recovered the bales from the sea after they had been thrown from the merchant ship Erato as it passed through waters near Ibiza.

The Balearic patrol boats Paiño and Colimbo IV participated in the air-naval operation, along with a Customs Surveillance helicopter. The circumstances surrounding the discovery have not allowed any arrests to be made, so the investigation remains open. The intervention was carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the Sub-directorate of Customs Surveillance Operations for 2025, which establishes operations focused on intensifying the fight against maritime trafficking and the protection of commercial traffic, the statement added.


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Costa Blanca

Two police officers injured by a distracted driver in Santa Pola

According to the official channels of the force, a severe road accident on Avenida del Mediterráneo in Gran Alacant, Santa Pola, has resulted in the injuries of numerous individuals, including two local police officers.

The accident occurred as a result of a distracted driver at the wheel, resulting in the car colliding with the police vehicle.

The images released show the significant impact suffered by the officers’ vehicle, as well as the frontal damage to the other vehicle involved.

No details have been released regarding the severity of the injuries of those involved, although a message of hope for a speedy recovery has been conveyed to the injured.


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Costa Blanca

Firefighters rescue driver trapped in car on Torrevieja seafront

Firefighters from the Torrevieja fire station rescued a woman after her vehicle plunged off the seafront promenade at 06:07 this morning; emergency personnel responded with the assistance of the local authorities.

The driver, a 79 year old woman of foreign nationality, was driving the vehicle along the promenade when it was involved in an accident. The vehicle plunged down the embankment, a drop of over half a metre and leads to the rocks in the heart of Torrevieja.

The victim was unable to exit the vehicle independently due to the door being obstructed by the rugged terrain, necessitating the arrival of firefighters to the scene. Medical services treated her for minor injuries following the rescue. Cars are only authorised on the promenade for residents.

The local authorities are currently conducting an investigation into the causes.

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Alicante couple arrested for trying to defraud lottery winner out of 40,000€ with a fake 6€ ticket

National Police Car

In Alicante, National Police officers have arrested a 37-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman, who are purportedly involved in fraudulent activities. After successfully deceiving the proprietor into believing that the prize was only €6, the suspects attempted to cash in a lottery ticket valued at €40,000.

A citizen lodged a complaint alleging fraud, which prompted the investigation. She complained that she had acquired a lottery ticket and, the day following the drawing, visited a lottery kiosk to determine whether the ticket was eligible for a prize.

The seller informed her that the system was not functioning properly and that she could verify it using her mobile phone after verifying the ticket with the authorised ticket dispenser (POS). The vendor informed her that the ticket had a prize of six euros when she viewed it on the terminal.

For her part, the victim trusted the provided information and accepted the money without suspecting deception. At the same time, the seller retained the lottery ticket.

A few days later, the complainant discovered that the was infact worth 40,000 euros and that she had been deceived. She returned to the stand where she had checked the ticket to claim her prize, and the seller informed her that she was unaware of this and that she had thrown it in the bin.

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Then, she proceeded to the authorised offices of the aforementioned lottery drawings to report the incident. Upon his arrival, she was instructed to submit a complaint regarding the events.

The agents verified that the coupon was indeed a prize after collecting all the information. The saleswoman confirmed on three separate occasions that she had retained the coupon after deceiving the complainant about the prize amount.

The investigation phase also disclosed that the lottery ticket had been attempted to be redeemed by the seller’s ex-partner. However, this was not accomplished due to the fact that the authorised collection offices were aware of the incident and the agents had requested that the payment of the prize be blocked.

The officers were able to corroborate that the seller and the individual who attempted to cash in the winning ticket were both involved in a fraudulent activity as a result of the investigations.

The investigators’ findings confirmed that the two suspects had reached an agreement to collect the winning ticket. They also discovered that the woman, a lottery seller, had deceived them by faking the malfunction of the POS machine and falsely informing the complainant that the prize was six euros.

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Following the investigation and the collection of sufficient evidence to establish their involvement in the events, they were apprehended and charged with fraud.

The courts in Alicante were informed of the situation subsequent to the police investigation.


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