Jun 20 Drugs Chase at Sea
Officers of the Royal Gibraltar Police’s Marine Unit were in the early hours of Tuesday the 18th of June alerted to the presence of a suspect vessel within BGTW.
The officers deployed in an interceptor vessel with the Gibraltar Defence Police in support. The suspect vessel which was subsequently located about a mile south from Europa Point was identified as a seven metre Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat with two occupants on board. The vessel was seen to be laden with bales suspected to contain Cannabis Resin.
A chase ensued with the navigator of the suspect RHIB conducting evasive manoeuvres whilst the other occupant jettisoned the vessel’s cargo. Following the loss of visual contact with the suspect vessel it was seen on radar to head southwards to the Moroccan coastline. A search for any floating bales proved fruitless.
Commenting on the chase Commissioner Eddie Yome highlighted the evident disruption of an attempt to introduce illegal drugs into Gibraltar or Spain. He further complimented the vital role that the Marine Unit of the Royal Gibraltar Police, supported by the Gibraltar Defence Police, continues to play in the fight against the international drug trade.
