Arrests in Fuerteventura: Two Boats and Fuel for Drug Speedboats

Six people were arrested during a surveillance operation in the coastal area near Morro Jable.

The Civil Guard of the Las Palmas Command has detained six men in Fuerteventura and seized approximately 3,200 liters of fuel and two boats in an operation against the so‑called “petaqueo”, linked to the supply of fuel for drug‑trafficking operations.

According to the armed institute, the intervention took place on 22 December 2025 in the south of the island, after suspicious movements were detected in the coastal zone near Morro Jable.

Facing the possibility that several vessels might approach the shoreline for illicit purposes, citizen‑security patrols and Judicial Police agents were activated, establishing a surveillance setup on the stretch known as Playa de la Señora, where the presence of vehicles and people acting suspiciously had been observed.

During the operation, agents observed that, after a boat arrived at the coast, two individuals attempted to supply it with fuel cans from the shore. At that moment one of them was arrested, while another man fled together with another occupant on the boat, leaving numerous cans on the beach, which were seized by the agents.

The Civil Guard kept tracking the boat and saw its occupants being picked up by another vessel and taken to the Morro Jable pier. At that point the three crew members and the boat’s captain were detained, as well as another person performing surveillance duties.

In addition, the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard intervened the previously abandoned boat on the coast.

As a result of the operation, 157 fuel cans containing roughly 3,200 liters of fuel were seized and six men were arrested for the crime of possession and transport of unauthorized flammable substances, as defined in article 568 of the Penal Code. The two seized boats are considered prohibited vessels under Decree‑Law 16/2018.

This action is part of a framework developed in the province of Las Palmas over the past month and a half, during which 11 arrests have been made and more than 7,500 liters of fuel have been seized in various operations.

The Civil Guard indicates that this type of operation, known in criminal slang as “petaqueo”, is linked to the supply of fuel to high‑speed vessels used in offshore drug‑trafficking missions.