Lorraine Williamson
In Galicia, the drug trade is not only about what lands on shore. It is also about who builds the boats. A fresh report from El País shines a light on a less visible side of organised crime in north-west Spain: clandestine workshops and shipyards allegedly producing fast vessels for trafficking networks operating in Spain, Portugal, and the Strait of Gibraltar.
That matters because it reframes the story. This is no longer just a policing issue at sea. It is a logistics and manufacturing story on land, where specialist skills, hidden facilities and cross-border supply chains can be just as valuable to criminal groups as the drugs themselves, according to the report.
From smuggling coast to specialist production chain
Galicia has long been associated with maritime smuggling, first with tobacco routes and later with cocaine trafficking. El País reports that as cocaine demand and trafficking volumes grew, so did the need for larger, faster and more specialised craft, helping to turn boatbuilding itself into a lucrative criminal service.
The article describes networks using clandestine facilities in Galicia and northern Portugal to build or assemble high-speed semi-rigid boats, with some groups reportedly supplying bands operating in the Strait for drug trafficking and the illegal transport of migrants.
It is a familiar pattern in organised crime: when enforcement pressure increases on one link of the chain, the value of upstream services rises. In this case, boat design, engines, electronics and rapid replacement capacity appear to be part of the business model. That helps explain why seizures, while significant, do not always stop operations for long. This is an inference based on the repeated replacement and manufacturing patterns described by investigators and reported in the latest coverage.
Why authorities are struggling to slow it down
Spanish authorities have seized large numbers of vessels and uncovered multiple clandestine yards over the years, but El País describes the effort as a difficult, ongoing battle. The report says some groups can replace boats quickly and, in some cases, even abandon expensive craft after unloading cargo, underlining the scale of profits involved.
One of the recent cases highlighted is Operation Endurance, involving an alleged network linked to the construction of high-speed narcolanchas in Galicia and northern Portugal. El País reports that 11 defendants are facing trial proceedings, with the prosecution alleging the group built multiple vessels over a short period. The hearing has reportedly faced delays and is now expected to be retried in April.
Another strand is Operation Ceira. Spain’s General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) said on 30 January 2026 that a court in Cambados ordered proceedings to continue against six investigated individuals in a case involving alleged drug trafficking and contraband narcolanchas, following the conclusion of the Ceira investigation. The CGPJ also noted judicial cooperation with Portugal through a Joint Investigation Team framework.
The Galicia–Portugal link remains central
Cross-border cooperation is not a side note here. It is central to the case. Recent investigations and official statements point repeatedly to activity spanning Galicia and northern Portugal, including alleged workshops, supply lines and company structures used to move parts, engines and boats.
In the case of Operation Vozka, Spain’s Tax Agency (AEAT) said in April 2024 that a joint operation with the Guardia Civil, working with Portugal’s Polícia Judiciária in Braga, dismantled an organisation based in Galicia that allegedly supplied outboard engines and narcolanchas to groups operating in the Strait of Gibraltar. AEAT said six people were arrested and five more investigated.
AEAT also said investigators linked several of the group’s boats to seizures involving more than 4,000 kilos of cocaine and more than 4,000 kilos of hashish, and reported the seizure of cash, boats, large outboard engines and navigation equipment.
A trade built on expertise, not just brute force
What stands out in the latest reporting is the level of technical expertise involved. These are not improvised vessels. They are described as fast, purpose-built craft, often equipped to maximise speed, range and evasion. El País also traces the roots of this know-how to older generations of Galician trafficking figures and maritime operators, showing how experience has been passed on and adapted over time.
That history matters because it helps explain why the problem persists. Galicia’s maritime culture, estuaries and access points have always been strategic. When criminal networks can tap into long-established nautical skills, enforcement becomes a race against an ecosystem, not just a single gang.
What this means for Spain’s anti-narco strategy
The hidden-shipyard angle suggests that future enforcement will need to keep targeting the industrial side of trafficking, not only the final landings. Boats, engines, moulds, assembly sites, shell companies and cross-border logistics are all part of the same chain. Recent operations show authorities are already moving in that direction, but the latest reporting indicates the replacement capacity remains strong.
For readers in Spain, the wider point is simple: the narco economy adapts fast. When one route is pressured, another service grows. In Galicia, that appears to include the covert business of building the boats that keep the trade moving.