Police seize banned boat abandoned off Rosia

Officers of the Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section have seized a large high powered Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) of the type used for drug trafficking across the Straits of Gibraltar.
This comes as police statistics reveal that since the beginning of the year RGP marine crews alone have responded to 32 reports of suspect vessels operating in BGTW, resulting in RGP vessels having engaged in 23 high speed pursuits.
In addition to this latest seizure, the efforts of local law enforcement agencies have resulted in a large amount of Cannabis Resin being recovered from the sea by the RGP and HM Customs as well as the apprehending by RGP officers of a two engine, 10m RHIB and its two crewmembers only last week.
On this occasion, the vessel was abandoned approximately one nautical mile off Rosia Bay after it run out of fuel, with the three man crew being picked up by a second RHIB that came to their aid despite being chased by a Gibraltar Defence Police vessel into the Bay from off Europa Point.
The second RHIB then left the area chased by both the GDP and RGP vessels that were unable to match its speed.
According to the RGP, this is the first time a vessel of this size and power has been seized by local Law Enforcement Agencies.
For the vessel to have been unable to return to land before running out of fuel is indicative of the pressure being exerted by Law Enforcement Agencies in combating drug trafficking across the Straits of Gibraltar, police said.
Police further explained that these vessels operate predominantly at night and to counter them and their illicit activity local Law Enforcement Agencies work closely together in support of each other.