Spain arrests suspect in February speedboat crash that killed 2 police officers

MADRID -- Spanish authorities arrested a 32-year-old man for the death of two police officers in February when a speedboat suspected to belong to drug smugglers smashed into their patrol craft, Spain’s Civil Guard said Thursday.

The incident occurred on Feb 9, when the Civil Guard craft was on patrol identifying speedboats spotted in the southern port of Barbate. Video footage showed a speedboat slamming into the craft in the port’s waters.

The Civil Guard said in a statement that it had arrested one suspect and asked a local court to issue international arrest warrants for three people who were in the speedboat, due to the belief that the others have been outside Spain since shortly after the incident.

Two other members of the six-person crew were hurt, the Civil Guard said in February.

Spain’s coast near the Strait of Gibraltar is a hotspot for drug smuggling from Morocco into Europe.