Two suspected drug smugglers have been arrested off the coast of Spain after trying to escape justice by setting fire to their boat and jumping into the sea.
Customs officers intercepted the small sailing boat around 90km (60 miles), crewed by a Frenchman and a Dutchman, off the island of Tenerife.
Video footage released by the Guardia Civil shows how a fire broke out on board and the two men leapt into the water as the patrol boat approached.
One of the men was hauled out of the water by the customs boat’s crew, who also managed to put out the fire.
The sailing boat sank shortly afterwards, but officers were able to retrieve 25kg of cocaine from the water. Police believe hundreds of kilos of drugs were on board.
One of the men was reportedly seriously injured in the incident and had to be taken to hospital by helicopter, but police did not say which.
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