Drug Smugglers Arrested After Mistaking Undercover Police for Rivals and Calling 112
Three men were arrested and 500 kilograms of hashish seized in Tenerife after the suspects mistakenly called emergency services for help while being pursued by undercover Civil Guard officers.
A major anti-drug operation in southern Tenerife last Monday resulted in the seizure of half a ton of hashish and the arrest of three men. The incident, which occurred near Las Chafiras in San Miguel de Abona, took an unusual turn when the suspects, believing they were being followed by a rival gang, called 1-1-2 to report the pursuit.
The suspects—a Spanish national, a Moroccan national, and a man with dual Spanish-Moroccan citizenship—were actually being tracked by an unmarked Civil Guard vehicle. In the world of organized crime, gangs often fear "rips," where rival groups steal illicit shipments. Mistaking the undercover officers for criminals, the men panicked and called emergency services for help.
When local police and public security units arrived at the scene, they discovered the situation was actually a coordinated sting by the Civil Guard’s Organized Crime Team (ECO), supported by the Playa de las Américas Rural Patrol.
The three men and the 500 kilograms of hashish were taken to the Civil Guard station in Granadilla de Abona. The case is now being handled by the local court, which will decide on charges related to drug trafficking. The operation highlights the increased efforts by security forces to monitor and intercept drug shipments as smuggling attempts into the Canary Islands continue to rise.