The meeting between the Spanish Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the Portuguese Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, took place last week during the Ministerial Conference between the countries of the European Union and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), according to a statement from the Spanish government member.

According to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, the two ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, especially after Portugal regulated the use of speedboats in the fight against drug trafficking.

At the meeting, the second after a first one held between the two in Luxembourg in October, the Spanish minister thanked Portugal for its commitment to regulating "narco-boats" and assessed this legislation as "a major step against organized crime to strengthen cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking."

At the end of September, the Assembly of the Republic approved a government decree, which has already been promulgated by the President of the Republic, regulating the use of speedboats to combat drug trafficking and providing for a prison sentence of one to four years for "anyone who transports, imports or exports" speedboats or who "enters or leaves the national territory" without authorization from the Tax and Customs Authority.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the two ministers also committed to advancing technical negotiations to reach an international agreement that provides "full coverage" for bilateral cooperation on security issues and the fight against cross-border crime, and that includes the prosecution of drug trafficking.

Drug trafficking investigations in Portugal fall under the jurisdiction of the Polícia Judiciária (Judicial Police), through the Unidade Nacional de Combate ao Tráfico de Narcotics (UNCTE) (National Unit for Combating Drug Trafficking), which is overseen by the Ministry of Justice.