Two 38-metre patrol boats, built in Dubai and intended for the Libyan militia Tariq Bin Ziyad, will become part of the Tax Agency's fleet. They will be operational in the last quarter of the year, based in Vigo and the Canary Islands.
Two high-speed patrol boats that were to be used by Libyan mercenaries have changed ownership. They now belong to the Spanish Treasury and will be employed by Customs Surveillance to combat drug trafficking and smuggling along the Atlantic coasts.
The vessels, measuring 38 metres in length with aluminium hulls, were intercepted in August 2025 aboard the freighter ‘Lila Mumbai’, registered in Liberia, as they were heading to Libya. The operation, a joint effort between the Civil Guard and Customs Surveillance, was carried out in Ceuta amid suspicions that the ship was transporting military material to a country under a United Nations arms embargo.
The suspicions were confirmed. The freighter was carrying, in addition to the two patrol boats, two troop landing craft and six smaller boats. All bore the initials TBZ, the militia Tariq Bin Ziyad, linked to human trafficking, war crimes, and smuggling, operating under the protection of warlord Khalifa Haftar, who controls eastern Libya.
Provisional incorporation into the Customs fleet
After being stored for a year at the port of Algeciras (Cádiz), the Tax Agency has decided to incorporate the two larger patrol boats into its operational resources. “They are now provisionally assigned to the Agency,” says a spokesperson for the Agency. “The final assignment is pending a judicial decision related to the process of the freighter ‘Lila Mumbai’, and it will not be a quick procedure.”
The plan is to allocate one patrol boat to Galicia, based in Vigo, and the other to the Canary Islands. “There are no dates yet for the start of service, but after the necessary adjustments, we expect activity to begin in the last quarter of the year,” the spokesperson adds. The vessels will be named Tordo I and Tordo II, following the Customs tradition of naming their boats after birds.
The SIAT union had requested from the outset that the Agency consider incorporating these vessels. “Their characteristics allow them to be used in the pursuit of drug smuggling. We have been advocating for the custody of seized vehicles instead of auctioning them, which would save costs and enhance operational efficiency,” explains a SIAT spokesperson.
Logistical challenges and doubts about timelines
Agents assigned to similar vessels, such as the ‘Cóndor’, express caution. “These boats were meant to be used in the Mediterranean and are now going to serve in the Atlantic, which are very different waters,” they explain. Additionally, boats over 35 metres require crews of 12 people, and there is a shortage of machinists. “I don’t know if they will be available by the end of the year. They need to be tested and require training time,” notes an agent.
The vessels were built at Grandweld Shipyards in Dubai, which specialise in high-speed boats. Their original destination was Benghazi, Libya. For now, Customs Surveillance will only incorporate the two patrol boats; the landing craft and the six smaller boats are not expected to be integrated in the short term.
What does this mean for the reader? For those following the fight against drug trafficking, the incorporation of these vessels strengthens operational capacity in the Atlantic, a key route for drug trafficking. The timelines, however, are approximate and depend on the necessary adjustments and judicial resolution. The next time you see a ‘Tordo’ navigating the waters of Vigo or the Canary Islands, you will know it was once on the verge of falling into the hands of mercenaries.
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