Spanish police said three of their officers almost drowned when their boat crashed during a "high-speed" hunt, before being rescued and dragged to safety by drug traffickers who were chasing them.
Police said in a statement that the rescue operation - unexpected - happened Friday after a police ship began chasing a speedboat with four people suspected of transporting drugs in the waters off the southern coast of Spain, according to the newspaper "Guardian" Britain.
During the chase, the two ships collided, causing three police officers to fall into the sea after their boat "got out of control."
Using loudspeakers, a police helicopter flying overhead called the smugglers on the speedboat to help, and they had already pulled the three police agents to safety.
But this "good" gesture did not help them when police found three tons of hashish in their possession. "They were arrested for drug trafficking," the police statement said.