A shootout between narcos and police in Sevilla has left an officer seriously injured after he was shot in the stomach and leg.
Spain’s largest Policia Nacional union, Jupol, is now calling for the immediate resignation of Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska following the incident in Isla Mayor last week.
In a strongly worded statement released on Sunday, the union said the attack was ‘the definitive proof of the failure of the Special Security Plan for the Campo de Gibraltar,’ claiming it has ‘only served to hide the Government’s inaction while drug traffickers operate freely in Spain.’
‘The State has lost control in the fight against the narcos and our officers are unprotected. Marlaska is the main person responsible for this failure and must resign immediately,’ Jupol said.
The union expressed solidarity with the injured officer – a member of the Greco Tartesos unit specialising in anti-narcotics operations – who was shot in the abdomen and leg and remains in hospital after emergency surgery.
‘We hope for a full recovery for our colleague. We stand with him and with all officers who risk their lives every day in unacceptable conditions, caused by political neglect and lack of commitment to public safety,’ the statement read.
Jupol stressed that the incident was ‘not an isolated case’ but the result of ‘years of insufficient resources, poor planning and a lack of real commitment to fighting organised crime.’
‘Every operation becomes a game of Russian roulette because there aren’t enough officers or equipment. We don’t want empty speeches or posthumous honours, we want to go home alive.’
The union urged the Government to adopt an urgent and properly funded plan to replace what it described as ‘propaganda without results.’
It also demanded harsher penalties for drug-related crimes, more human and material resources, and the designation of Andalucía’s drug-affected zones as Areas of Special Singularity, granting extra pay and protection to officers stationed there.
Jupol also renewed calls for a fair retirement system for officers under the civil service scheme, arguing that policing is ‘a profession of real and constant risk.’
‘Our colleagues face criminals armed with military-grade weapons and boats faster than those of the State. Marlaska cannot keep looking the other way while officers put their bodies on the line to make up for his incompetence,’ the union said.
According to Jupol, elite units such as the GOES (Special Operations Groups) in Malaga and Sevilla are working in ‘extreme conditions’ without adequate protection.
‘We don’t even have armoured vehicles, it’s shameful that units fighting drug traffickers directly don’t have a single bullet-resistant vehicle, it’s reckless and irresponsible,’ the statement added.
The union accused Marlaska of abandoning police forces and turning his ministry into ‘an exercise in empty propaganda without tangible results.’
‘Marlaska has lost the respect of police officers and of society. His continued presence in office is an insult to those who risk their lives on the streets. If he had any dignity, he would resign today,’ Jupol concluded.
The confrontation that sparked the union’s outrage occurred in the early hours of Saturday, when police attempted to intercept a drug shipment inside an industrial warehouse in Isla Mayor, south of Sevilla.
According to police sources, the traffickers opened fire with assault rifles, including AK-47s, as officers tried to enter. The wounded officer was evacuated and operated on urgently; his condition is now stable.
