The Supreme Court (TS) has reduced from 37 to 30 years in prison the sentence imposed on the person responsible for the death of an agent during the boarding of a sailboat loaded with cocaine that was set on fire by its crew in March 2023.
The reduction is based on the fact that the crimes of homicide, piracy and arson were committed in "ideal concurrence" by having a common origin: an abrupt turn of the rudder to capsize the police boat. Therefore, these charges are reduced from 27 to twenty years, the other ten years being maintained for a crime against public health.
The high court also ratifies the obligation of the main convicted person to compensate the agent's widow with 300,000 euros and his son with 150,000 euros.
The events date back to January 2023, when the sailboat, with a Maltese flag, departed from Santa Cruz de Tenerife towards Cape Verde and the Caribbean. Upon its return to Spain, it was intercepted by a patrol boat that activated acoustic and luminous signals to proceed with its identification.
At the moment of boarding, the accused performed an "unexpected and violent" maneuver which caused the capsizing of the Police auxiliary vessel, which caused the officers to fall into the sea and one of them died by drowning.
Once the rest of the police managed to access the vessel, they observed bales of drugs and fuel drums. One of the crew members took advantage of a lapse to cause a fire with a flare, which destroyed the cargo and made necessary the emergency evacuation of all present towards the stern.
The Supremo has also confirmed sentences of sixteen years for one of the crew members for drug trafficking and arson, and ten years for two others for a public health offense.
The ruling emphasizes that the collision caused by the accused aimed to avoid boarding and gain time to get rid of the cocaine, after a voyage in which the sailboat turned off its location signals in areas identified as drug transshipment points.
