This is the moment five tonnes of hashish were recovered after narcos threw their cargo into the sea during a police chase near the Spain-Portugal border.

The occupants escaped on foot after reaching land and abandoning their speedboat near the mouth of the Guadiana river, at Ayamonte in Huelva.

Guardia Civil officers recovered 127 bales of the drug during the joint operation with Portugal’s Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) and maritime police.

The pursuit unfolded on Wednesday night (October 21), after officers detected a rigid inflatable boat fitted with four powerful engines approaching the river mouth.

Spanish authorities mobilised officers on land, patrol vessels and aerial support, while Portuguese forces joined the operation from across the border.

The GNR also deployed drones after an alert from the joint police and customs cooperation centre at Castro Marim–Ayamonte.

During the chase, those aboard began throwing bales into the water in an apparent attempt to dispose of their cargo.

Police recovered approximately 5,000kg of hashish and seized the abandoned boat, which remains in custody pending judicial proceedings.

No arrests have been announced. Investigators are working to identify and locate those who escaped.

Initial Portuguese reports gave lower figures for the number of bales recovered, but the Guardia Civil’s subsequent total put the haul at 127.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.