Narcos are escaping justice or having their sentences substantially reduced due to the overwhelmed courts in Cadiz, prosecutors have warned.
An annual report from Andalucia’s senior prosecution service says the system is drowning in major drug investigations, while staff shortages and lengthy procedures are adding to its woes.
It singles out the Campo de Gibraltar, Barbate and Chiclana, where courts handling both civil and criminal matters face particularly severe pressure.
According to the report, delays sometimes leave cases stalled until they can no longer be prosecuted. In others, excessive waiting times lead to significantly reduced sentences.
The warning comes amid continued operations against the gangs supplying high-speed drug boats.
At around 6am on Saturday, Guardia Civil officers intercepted a four-engine vessel leaving the mouth of the Guadalquivir carrying 147 fuel containers.
Four crew members were arrested and more than 3,600 litres of fuel seized, reportedly intended to replenish drug boats offshore.
Supplying these vessels has become a lucrative business known as ‘petaqueo’, with traffickers paying up to €300 for a 25-litre container, according to the prosecution report.
The networks also provide food and replacement pilots, helping boats remain at sea.
But prosecutors warn that large quantities of petrol are being transported through populated areas and stored in unsafe conditions, posing risks to people and the environment.
The scale of Cadiz’s drugs caseload is clear from the report’s 2024 figures. Prosecutors requested pre-trial detention in 338 drug trafficking cases in the province – almost 42% of Andalucia’s total.
Meanwhile, 3,942 hearings were suspended across the province’s criminal courts, compared with 5,550 that went ahead. These figures cover all criminal cases, rather than drug offences alone.
Court delays are also hampering the disposal of seized boats, which accumulate in overcrowded storage sites while authorities await permission to destroy them.
Prosecutors are calling for more staff, separate civil and criminal courts, faster procedures and greater resources to investigate money laundering.
Their central warning is that drug seizures alone will not dismantle the organisations behind the trade.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
