The Coastal and Border Control Unit (UCCF) of the Portuguese National Republican Guard (GNR) intercepted two semi-rigid boats carrying 39 migrants, aged between 16 and 35 years, during a patrol operation in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Almería, Spain, on December 8.
The operation was conducted by the Coastal Patrol Vessel (CPV) P01 BOJADOR as part of a coastal surveillance mission aimed at detecting illicit cross-border activities and controlling irregular immigration flows.
During the patrol, GNR officers were alerted to the presence of two suspicious vessels and, with support from Frontex aerial resources, successfully located and intercepted them, the organization stated in a communiqué sent to newsrooms on Thursday.
The first vessel, which was in an advanced state of deterioration with deflating pontoons, carried 22 migrants. The GNR deemed the situation posed an “imminent risk,” necessitating a swift intervention to safeguard the lives involved.
A second vessel, intercepted shortly thereafter, had 17 migrants onboard, including four minors.
This operation is part of the “Joint Operation SPAIN – INDALO 2025,” led by the Spanish Guardia Civil and coordinated by Frontex, where the CPV P01 BOJADOR enhances the surveillance of the European Union’s external borders, combats cross-border crime, and supports search and rescue missions, from December 7, 2025, to January 21, 2026.
See images of the action in the gallery above.
Today it was announced that the GNR and the Spanish Guardia Civil arrested 15 people and seized 1,509 kilograms of hashish and 36 boats in a joint operation against maritime drug trafficking on the Iberian Peninsula.
Lusa | 15:15 – 10/12/2025
