Three military boats stolen from the Spanish Navy during major exercises in Cadiz have been recovered by the Guardia Civil.

The theft has been described as a ‘show of arrogance’ by narco gangs operating in southern Spain.

The semi-rigid vessels, valued at more than €200,000, were found on Sunday hidden in a wooded area near Barbate after being stolen during military manoeuvres at the Sierra del Retin training ground.

According to reports, the boats were discovered intact alongside fuel canisters, outboard motors and several black bundles.

Investigators said the vessels had been carefully deflated and arranged to make them easier to transport.

No arrests have yet been made.

The theft triggered alarm within Spain’s armed forces because the boats disappeared from a restricted military zone during FLOTEX-26, the Navy’s main annual advanced training exercise.

The operation took place between May 11 and 22 across the Gulf of Cadiz, the Alboran Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar, involving large-scale naval and marine infantry drills.

The stolen vessels were Duarry Supercat semi-rigid boats, typically used by the Marine Infantry for rapid deployment and amphibious operations.

The incident has raised serious questions over security failures at the military facility, with the Navy launching an internal investigation into how the material could have been removed from such a highly controlled area.

The Campo de Gibraltar and Cadiz coastline remain under intense pressure from heavily organised drug trafficking networks, particularly those involved in hashish smuggling through the Strait.

Sources linked to anti-narcotics operations reportedly described the theft as ‘a demonstration of swagger’ by narco groups operating in the region.

Investigators are now trying to determine exactly who carried out the robbery, how the boats were extracted from the military zone and whether the theft formed part of a wider logistics network connected to drug trafficking organisations.

Early suspicions pointed towards the involvement of so-called ‘petaqueros’ – fuel runners who supply high-speed narco boats operating in the Strait.

Although no suspects have officially been detained so far, further arrests have not been ruled out in the coming hours.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.