HM Customs have provided assistance in an international anti-drugs operation that has resulted in the arrest of five individuals and the seizure of several bales of cocaine, weighing in excess of 300kg.

The drugs were detected by the Spanish authorities in the early hours of Sunday on board the HCH-X, a locally registered vessel, whilst it sailed through international waters following a request to HM Customs under Article 17 of the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988. None of the persons detained are Gibraltarian.

Customs Officers have been involved in monitoring the vessel and its different crew members since its last visit to Gibraltar in July 2017. Enquiries will continue in order to ascertain that there are no other local ties to the organised crime group.

The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, commented: “We commend the work done by HM Customs and their collaboration with law enforcement agencies internationally, which has again contributed to an important seizure of drugs destined for the streets of Europe.”

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