MADRID: The Spanish Guardia Civil Association has called for a ban on fast launches of the kind used for drug smuggling, citing Gibraltar as an example where this has worked well.
The AEGC issued a statement calling for the creation of a permanent elite unit, to better tackle what they called the “dangerous” drug trafficking gangs that work in the Campo de Gibraltar. Last week saw five tonnes of cannabis and nine fast launches seized in an operation which also led to the arrests of 21 people. This success was attributed by the AEGC to the involvement of elite units.
The AEGC said the use and sale of fast launches in Spanish waters should be banned. It said Gibraltar had adopted this measure in the 90s, and since then its problems with drugs networks had been substantially reduced – with not a single one of these launches allowed in its waters.