HM Customs officers seized more than 1.5 tons of cannabis resin from a high-powered rigid-hulled inflatable boat that collided with a reef off Sandy Bay on 25 July 2015.[1] The operation was carried out by uniformed officers of the newly formed Enforcement and Marine Units of HM Customs.[1] Customs officers arrested two crew members while Royal Gibraltar Police officers arrested a third man; the three detainees, two Spaniards and one French national, faced importation charges and were remanded in custody pending their first court appearance that Monday.[1] Customs put the street value of the drugs at over 5 million pounds.[1]
Eight-year sentences
On 24 November 2015 the Supreme Court sentenced Spanish national Jose Maria Guitierrez Tomillero and French national Elias Bougdira to eight years in prison each over the 1.5 tons of cannabis resin found aboard the boat in July.[2] The court also ordered the forfeiture of the drugs and the boat itself.[2]
