A Spanish customs launch chased a suspected drug smuggler deep into Gibraltar territorial waters on Saturday.

The Servicio de Vigilancia Aduanera [SVA] followed the small boat as it sped over from Morocco into waters close to the Rock.

 

But the SVA officers, who had not alerted the Gibraltar authorities, pulled back after the alleged smuggler slipped into Gibraltar harbour.

By that point the Royal Gibraltar Police had joined in the chase and subsequently arrested a Spanish national on drug-related charges.

“The SVA were in hot pursuit of a dory but the moment we intervened, they withdrew,” a police spokesman told the Chronicle.

Officers from the RGP’s marine section apprehended Francisco Tapia Apresa, 49, a resident of Estepona.

Sr Tapia was charged with importation, possession and possession with intent to supply 22.3 kilos of cannabis resin.

The drugs were in two plastic containers recovered from the sea and police claim the defendant threw these off the bow of the vessel when an officer moved in to arrest him.

Police divers also recovered a mobile phone that Sr Tapia allegedly disposed of when he was challenged.

The Spaniard appeared before the Magistrates Court yesterday morning, where he was granted legal aid and remanded in custody until next week.

British officials were unaware of the SVA incursion when contacted by the Chronicle and declined to comment on the incident.

However it is standard practice for the British embassy in Madrid to raise such incidents formally with the Spanish government whenever they occur.

The incursion comes a fortnight after officials from Gibraltar, Spain and the UK met in Algeciras to discuss judicial and law enforcement issues under the framework of the tripartite forum.

The meeting of experts was one of several such reunions aimed at furthering cooperation in a number of different areas.

Few details of these preliminary talks have been released at this stage, with officials wary of raising expectations at such an early stage.

However senior sources on both sides of the border remain quietly optimistic that progress will be achieved in these discussions.