Specialized Guardia Civil commanders have rejected Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska's account of the deaths of two officers at sea between Huelva and Cádiz. They state the patrol boat collision was not accidental but caused by a studied maneuver from the traffickers' boat.
The commanders describe the tactic as habitual. When officers detect the traffickers' zodiacs and pursuit begins, the boats zigzag to cause collisions or evade capture, they explain.
The minister described the incident as an accident during a press conference in Madrid the day before the funeral of agents Germán and Jerónimo. Grande-Marlaska did not attend the event.
The commanders criticize the equipment of the Maritime Service patrol boats. They consider the vessels too heavy and not agile enough to confront the traffickers' fast boats, and note that agents' input was not taken into account during design.
