Carmen Crespo, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Almeria announced on Monday that the European People\u2019s Party (EPP) has submitted a request … to the European Parliament\u2019s Petitions Committee to examine the situation and impact of drug trafficking on the Andalusian coast, where there is a particularly high number of boats involved in drug trafficking.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the media in Almeria, Crespo highlighted the situation of “insecurity” which, as she warned, has worsened over the course of this summer, particularly in provinces including Cadiz, Huelva and Almeria<\/a>, which is why his party has called on Brussels to examine this issue.<\/p>\n The MEP has also backed the request made by the president of the Andalusian regional government, Juanma Moreno, to the central government to reinstate “special units” of the Guardia Civil, such as the now-disbanded OCON-Sur, in order to step up the fight against organised crime.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is a very consistent stance and, of course, an absolutely necessary form of opposition,\u201d Crespo said, highlighting that the situation of \u201cinsecurity\u201d in the country is \u201ca priority issue at the start of the political year\u201d and that, therefore, it must also be examined by the European institutions.<\/p>\n \nSpecialist unit\n<\/p>\n The regional minister for housing, youth and planning, Roc\u00edo D\u00edaz, made similar remarks on Monday, arguing that the Guardia Civil\u2019s elite unit specialising in the fight against drug trafficking in Andaluc\u00eda (OCON-Sur) \u201cshould never have been disbanded\u201d by the central government and called for it to be \u201creactivated\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAndaluc\u00eda is experiencing a rise in crime linked to drug trafficking, and what we are calling for is the reactivation of that elite Guardia Civil unit, which should never have been disbanded,\u201d D\u00edaz stated on Monday during a press briefing in Granada.<\/p>\n She insisted that OCON-Sur must resume operations “as soon as possible” in order to “provide support and resources” to the state\u2019s law enforcement agencies to \u2018combat\u2019 drug trafficking in the region.<\/p>\n On Monday, the regional minister for education, Mar\u00eda del Carmen Castillo, echoed this call, highlighting \u201cthe high level of insecurity\u201d caused by the presence of \u201cdrug mafias\u201d in Andaluc\u00eda.<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially at a time like now, in the summer, when tourism plays a crucial role and contributes to the well-being of our region\u201d she said during a press briefing in Almeria.<\/p>\n \nFatal shootings\n<\/p>\n The statements by D\u00edaz and Castillo follow a letter sent last Sunday by Juanma Moreno to the central government<\/a>, requesting the reactivation of this unit, which was disbanded four years ago: “We are no longer talking about a specific region; rather, the entire coastline and part of the interior are now targets for drug traffickers. We have become all too familiar with the sight of drug-smuggling speedboats operating and taking refuge in broad daylight, for example, in the Guadalquivir riverbed,\u201d Moreno explained in the text, referring to the fatal shootings last week in Isla Cristina (Huelva)<\/a> and Utrera (Seville).<\/p>\n The Spanish government\u2019s representative in Andaluc\u00eda, Pedro Fern\u00e1ndez, has criticised Juanma Moreno for his \u201clack of understanding, ignorance and contempt\u201d towards the work carried out by the state security forces (FCSE) in the fight against drug trafficking.<\/p>\n In a statement sent to the media, Fern\u00e1ndez stressed the “effectiveness” of the actions taken by the National Police and the Guardia Civil and argued that Moreno is “underestimating” the operational decisions taken by both forces, including the reorganisation of OCON-SUR.<\/p>\n