PHOTOS: Sergio Betancort
The Civil Guard commemorated this Wednesday the day of its patron saint in Lanzarote; and celebrated it by giving distinctions to 6 of its agents on the island for different merits. According to the newspaper La Provincia, among them is the heroism of First Corporal Carlos Corona and Guard Acaymo Montesdeoca, who in 2014 prevented the death of a man in Caletón del Mero by not hesitating to jump into the water to rescue him; and the work of the guards Laura Gutiérrez Herrero and José Herrera Díaz, who contributed to dismantling a drug trafficking network that operated in Lanzarote and Gran Canaria.
In 2014, Corona and Montesdeoca were the first to arrive at that beach with strong currents in Órzola when the Civil Guard, firefighters and the Local Police were alerted that a swimmer was in trouble. Upon arrival, this British man in his 40s clung with all his might to a rock, struggling not to be swallowed by the sea due to the strong currents. "The man had his body full of cuts and was bleeding from the blows he received when hitting the stones trying to get out of the water before we arrived. After rescuing him, he fainted," recalled First Corporal Carlos Corona upon receiving the Cross with White Decoration of the Order of Merit of the Civil Guard, which the body gave to him and his partner, Acaymo Zebenzuy Montesdeoca, in an act held at the barracks where both serve in Costa Teguise. "Just for saving a person's life you feel good, but this recognition is also appreciated," he added, according to the newspaper La Provincia.
The guards Laura Gutiérrez Herrero and José Herrera Díaz, both from the Judicial Police of Costa Teguise, received the same badge. With their work, these agents contributed to the dismantling last year of a drug trafficking network to which more than 1,000 kilograms of hashish were seized. In addition to these medals, the Cross with White Decoration of the Order of Military Merit was also awarded to José Manuel Rodríguez Romero. He is the most veteran agent of the San Bartolomé post, who was recognized for his "representation and defense of military values", according to La Provincia.
Finally, the civil guard Carlos Gonzalo González González also obtained the Cross with White Decoration of the Order of Merit of the Civil Guard. In his case, the body has distinguished his 15 years as a soldier and the 12 he has been assigned to the Security Section of the Tahíche Penitentiary Center, where he has prevented several escape attempts by prisoners and has frustrated the introduction of drugs.
During the act, the captain chief of the Civil Guard Company of Costa Teguise, José Ángel Silvero, took the floor. The officer highlighted, according to La Provincia, the increase in the clarification of crimes since October 2015 and the collaboration with other police forces and with the Armed Forces, emphasizing that the "fluid communication" with the National Police has already allowed to solve "numerous crimes".
