Watch: Gibraltar Police Seize 25 Kilos Of Cocaine From Ship’s Hull

Gibraltar Police on Wednesday busted a drug trail worth 2 million pounds on a Panama flagged bulk carrier. Customs have seized 25 kilos of cocaine from the ship’s hull.

The Royal Gibraltar Police and HM customs boarded the ship at the Western anchorage on Wednesday afternoon where the customs officers searched the ship till late night.

Cocaine Carried Parasite Box Retrieved

Royal Gibraltar Police put video footage on social media where it can be seen how the divers removed the cocaine parasite device from the ship’s hull with magnets.

The device, a metal box was pulled up using ropes. The customs officers found 25 kilos of cocaine inside the box individually wrapped in packages. The cocaine bust is worth £1.5million to £2million.

The police and the Customs Dog Section carried out a more detailed search and interviews of the crew late at night.

No Arrests Made

Gibraltar Police spokesperson said, “No arrests were affected as the investigation conducted throughout the course of Wednesday afternoon determined there were no grounds or necessity to effect any arrests.”

Police Tipped Off By Other Agencies

Shipping tracking websites revealed that the ship came from Columbia’s Ciénaga port and was on the way to Turkey’s Karabiga when this happened. These kinds of parasite device usage for drug smuggling has been quite common in the area and happens without the crew’s knowledge.

So far the police haven’t revealed how they got to know of this but they are likely to be tipped off by agencies from other countries.
The Police and Customs department of Gibraltar had a close association with law enforcement agencies of other countries.

The Police Commissioner, Richard Ullger, said: “The RGP is proud to continue to be part of the global fight against drugs.”

“This is a great result and will dent the efforts of organised crime groups to profit from the misery of others. This has been an excellent collaboration with external partners.”

This is the dramatic moment almost £2 million of cocaine was removed from the hull of a vessel in Gibraltar’s waters yesterday afternoon.https://t.co/X7xxdRH2tz#police #RGP #royalgibraltarpolice #hmcustoms #cocaine #Drugsquad #Gibraltar #rgpmarinesection #PoliceOfficer pic.twitter.com/3STCp6djTb

— Royal Gibraltar Police (@RGPolice) January 28, 2021

Source: Maritime Shipping News