Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
SMUGGLERS supplying fuel to drogue boats in Spain are now punished with up to eight years imprisonment, after a landmark judgment that ends years-long impunity.
Up until now, those who were caught providing the essential petrol required to keep the high-speed narco boat running received only a slap of the wrist.
In a recent ruling, however, illegal fuel supplies were reclassified as criminal acts, which could result in prison sentences between three and eight year.
The Algeciras court decision could be a turning point for the fight against the drug trafficking along the Strait of Gibraltar.
READ MORE Getting closer? The UK insists a deal with the Spain on Gibraltar must ‘respect the Rock’s sovereignty and the UK military base’
Fuel supply has become an important logistical element for drug smugglers who operate across the Strait. This is especially true as police pressure has increased, forcing narcos to move further offshore or into more remote areas.
This has led to an explosion in the practice of storing large amounts of petrol and transporting it in jerrycans.
The court’s decision came after a judge in Algeciras released a suspect, who was arrested with 164 petrol jerrycans (over 5,500 litres), destined for drugs boats.
READ MORE Spain’s pension reforms: What does partial, active or delayed retirement mean and how will it affect me?
This case is typical of many arrests, where a lack of specific criminal classification means that offenders are often let off with minor penalties or no punishment at all.
This crime is not limited to Spain.
Gibraltar’s customs officers arrested an suspected fuel smuggler late on Friday night, March 28, after a high-speed chase in the vicinity of Catalan Bay.
READ MORE In Spain, a two-year old girl was shot and killed during a violent family feud in Plasencia
Around 11:50pm, a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), which was suspiciously shaped, was spotted. HM Customs vessel Searcher pursued, but the RHIB managed to escape British Gibraltar Territorial Waters.
The suspected smuggler was found by officers shortly before midnight in the Catalan Bay reclamation areas, wearing waterproofs with a strong petrol smell but no identification.
