The meeting between Spain’s Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and Portugal’s Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, took place last Thursday during the Ministerial Conference between European Union countries and those in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), according to the Spanish government’s statement.
Lusa requested information from the Ministry of Internal Administration on Friday regarding this meeting and the agreement but received no response.
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior reported that the two ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating drug trafficking, particularly after Portugal regulated the use of speedboats in narcotics trafficking prevention.
In this meeting, the second following an initial one held in October in Luxembourg, the Spanish minister expressed gratitude to Portugal for its efforts in regulating “narco-boats” and regarded this legislation as “a significant step against organized crime to enhance cooperation in fighting drug trafficking.”
At the end of September, the Assembly of the Republic approved a government bill, which has already been enacted by the President, regulating the use of speedboats to combat drug trafficking and stipulating a penalty of one to four years in prison for those who “transport, import, or export” speedboats or “enter or leave national territory” in them without authorization from the Tax and Customs Authority.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the two ministers also committed to advancing technical negotiations to reach an international agreement providing “full coverage” for bilateral cooperation on security issues and addressing cross-border crime, including drug trafficking prosecution.
The investigation of drug trafficking in Portugal falls under the jurisdiction of the Judicial Police, via the National Unit for Combating Drug Trafficking (UNCTE), which is overseen by the Ministry of Justice.
