MADRID - The Spanish Anti-Narcotics Prosecutor's Office has announced a new legal strategy under which drug traffickers who attack or endanger security forces and customs vessels during high-seas chases will be charged with maritime piracy.

The move aims to significantly strengthen judicial action against criminal networks operating in the Strait of Gibraltar.

According to Spanish media, this new approach stems from a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling.

The court determined that any violent attack threatening maritime navigation safety or targeting individuals aboard vessels can be prosecuted as a crime of piracy alongside standard drug smuggling charges, paving the way for substantially harsher penalties.

In line with this ruling, Chief Anti-Narcotics Prosecutor Rosa Ana Moran issued directives to the Spanish Civil Guard and National Police.

She instructed personnel to rigorously document all attacks carried out by smuggling vessels against security units, emphasizing the collection of forensic evidence, photographs, and video footage to substantiate piracy charges during judicial proceedings.

Under Spanish law, maritime piracy carries a prison sentence ranging from ten to fifteen years, which will be applied in addition to the penalties already stipulated for international drug trafficking and smuggling offenses.

This stringent judicial shift comes amid persistent, high-volume activity by international drug trafficking networks in the Strait of Gibraltar and along the coasts opposite Morocco.

These networks heavily exploit the region's geographical proximity to smuggle narcotics into Europe.

Spain's judicial crackdown coincides with an intensification of field operations targeting these smuggling corridors. Spanish authorities recently reported the seizure of one ton of hashish during a joint operation conducted by customs and police personnel in the town of Isla Cristina, in the province of Huelva.

The Spanish Civil Guard has dismantled several major trafficking syndicates in recent months as part of an ongoing offensive against narcotics smuggling from Morocco, which remains the world's leading producer of hashish and the primary supplier to the European market.

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