IT had to happen.

Finally after months of rows and recrimination the Guardia Civil and Gibraltar police have been working together.

In a rare instance of cross-border co-operation both forces worked together to capture a suspected drug smuggling operation.

Spanish authorities requested help intercepting a suspicious vessel, 10 metre long and powered by twin 250 horsepower outboard engines, heading towards Europa Point.

The Guardia Civil had challenged the high performance sports vessel off the coast of Morocco and suspected that bales of cannabis resin had been thrown overboard.

A Gibraltar police vessel intercepted the boat in British waters off Eastern Beach, yet its four person crew continued to ignore orders to stop.

The suspected smugglers finally headed into port in La Linea, where the Guardia Civil arrested two men. Officers found 15 bales of cannabis resin on board.

 

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38 COMMENTS

  1. Police co-operation at sea against drug smugglers is a regular occurrence. The only problems occur when Spain does not respect British Waters – despite having signed the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) which establishes them beyond all reasonable doubt.

  2. ANSELMO…cant the crap..Deconolize Gibraltar and give their people a right to self determination. .thats something spain wont approve of..in the 21st Century…thats Democratic spain for you…tumbling down the drain…not even the catalans and Basques want to be part of you !

  3. Gibraltar will never be given to the Spanish, it may be decolonised but that doesn’t mean it will then be recolonized by the Spanish…. I think you will find the Gibraltarians have every right to self determination and I think you´ll also find that will be upheld by the UN…Surely it would have been returned to Spain by now if what you say is true. Can you please explain whay this hasn’t happened yet it your so sure it will????????????????? You WILL NEVER get your sticky little fingers on it again….. Catalunya will be independent soon too. I thank you!!

  4. Gibraltar is British – Ceuta is Spanish – Channel Islands are British – Melilla is Spanish, Kalingrad is Russian, this was Germany prior to WW11. That is how all of this is, so accept it and get use to it. Gibraltar is British, the population want it that way and that is that!!

  5. Incorrect Anselmo. Gibraltar is a NSGT on the UN list. The populations of all NSGTs on the UN list have an absolute right to self determination under the UN Charter. No exception has been made by the UN for any particular NSGT. Therefore the population of Gibraltar has a right to self determination.

  6. Catalunya

    It strikes me that you, that feel like a habitant of a country different to Spain, worry about problems between Spain and UK.

    It is a fact that the UN does not recognize the right to autodetermiación for the population of Gibraltar and the UK is breaching of the resolutions of the General Assembly of the UN about the decolonization of Gibraltar.

  7. Iestyn

    Gibraltar is a colony, but the autodetermination of his habitants would be against paragraph 6 of resolution 1514 (XV) of the General Assembly of the United Nations, as it represents an attack on the territorial integrity of Spain.

    For example, the 1967 referendum is invalid under the resolution 2353 (XXII) of 19 December 1967, of the General Assembly of the UN.

  8. Anselmo, I think you are very wrong there. The Union Jack flies above Gibraltar, which means that the UK and Gibraltar will decide what happens within our borders. Whereas Spain can, frankly, take a long jump off a short pier, as your say on the matters of Gibraltar are of Zero interest to us, or anyone else – including the UN.

    Now please go and try to run your ‘country’ a little less corruptly, with a little less fascism. You are an embarrassment to the democratic peoples of Europe.

  9. Anselmo ……… and your views on Ceuta and Melilla are? Do you also feel that Germany should ask Russia for Kalingrad – the Rusians shipped the German population to Russia after the war and planted it with Russians.

    Spain has a hopeless economy with extremely high unemployment, that can never be fixed without major write downs of debt. Why would the population of another state wish to be ruled by such a country? Believe me, the attention of Spain on Gibraltar is only to fool the Spanish population and keep their attention a wary from the hopeless economic situation that exists in your country. Ireland were lucky to a degree, but continue to have punitive taxes. Don’t blame me, I voted against Mastricht – single currency, no thanks!!

  10. Once again Anselmo, you are incorrect.

    UNGAR 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960 specifically only to NSGTs and Trust territories. Spain is not on the list of NSGTs and is not a Trust territory, so is not the subject of UNGAR 1514. Declaration 6 in that resolution is there to ensure that NSGTs do not suffer disruption to their territory during the process of decolonisation, when they are at their most vulnerable.

    The UNGA never declared the 1967 referendum invalid. UNGAR 2353 (XXII) simply declares it in contravention of UNGAR 2231 (XXI), neither of which deny the Gibraltarians the right to self determination, but rather reinforce it.

  11. Iestyn

    UNGAR 2353 (XXII) :

    ….”2. Declares the holding of the REFERENDUM of 10th September 1967, by the administering Power to be a CONTRAVENTION of the provisions of General Assembly Resolution 2231 (XXI) and of those of the Resolution approved on 1st September 1967 by the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples; (note C)”….

  12. OK lets look at it this way. You guys really think it’s yours and you really want it? Well come and get it, march across the border and try to take it. Because believe me, this is the ONLY way Gibraltar will ever become Spanish.

    End of story.

  13. Anselmo, declaring the referendum in contravention to the provisions of a particluar resolution (exactly what I stated in my last comment) does not mean the referendum is in any way invalid, nore was the referendum declared invalid by the UN as you stated in your previous comment. Stick to the facts Anselmo!

  14. Anselmo, why do you refuse to address my comments above?

    It is because of people with your attitude, that keep these ill feelings running.

    Thie above article is about teamwork between the Spanish and British authorities and again you head off on a tangent of Spain this and Spain that, all a load of rubbish. Gibraltar is British, get use it!!

    People, including many 1000s of my own countrymen have died over such ridiculous things. They die and the land they allegedly died for is still here. These days, like Ireland, Spain cannot make a decision without approval from Brussels. The only EU nation to stand up to unelected Eurocrats with ideas like we can only eat straight bananas are the British, be thankful to them for forcing the EU to have a good look at themselves and a major rethink!!

  15. Anselmo, it is a fact that the UN regarded the referendum in contravention of the provisions of UNGAR 2231 (XXI), and the UN has never stated that the 1967 referendum or subsequent referendums were in any way invalid. It is also a fact that Spain’s opinion with regard to the 1967 or any other referendum is totally irrelevant and has no legal effect.

  16. Ceuta and Mellia make a mockery of the Spanish “territorial integrity” Gibraltar argument .

    The only solution is for Spain to welcome the Gibraltarians, encourage stronger ties on political and social issues then maybe just maybe the people of Gibraltar in a generation or 2 may decide differently in a referendun …. blocking borders and alienation of the population will never suceed, is self defeating and childish.

  17. Anselmo, first you said the 1967 referendum was invalidated by the UN, which is demonstrably incorrect, and now you say the referendum was not approved by the UN, which is also demonstrably incorrect.

    The simple fact is the UN found the 1967 referendum to be in contravention of the provisions of UNGAR 2231 (XXI), nothing more and nothing less.

    Finding the referendum in contravention of the provisions of a resolution is not the same as saying the referendum was invalid and nor is it the same as saying the UN did not approve the referendum. Please try to stick to the facts!

    It is not Spain’s place to approve referendums in territories other than it’s own, it has no competence, legal or otherwise, so if Spain did not approve, that is a matter for Spain only, and irrelevant.

  18. Spain has severely damaged their relationship with Gibraltar, the objective now is to rebuild a good working relationship between both jurisdictions, bearing the following in mind fro both sides to adhere to:

    Respect
    Commitment
    Team Work
    Tolerance

    Believe me, when Northern Ireland was rescued from the brink, anywhere can. Look at the Trojan work achieved by both the British and Irish Governments in a short space of time. Today we have the four pillars as mentioned above within The British Isles and life is a lot more pleasant.

  19. Move on from that, the people on the Island of Ireland had to be tolerant and content with terrorists and murderers being released from prisons. The families of murder victims have to look at those who murdered their loved ones walking free on the streets.

    Tolerance, forgiveness, respect and commitment to a good and peaceful future is the ongoing recipe, and it works. Ireland is living proof.

  20. No Anselmo, I am simply stating that your assertions that a) the UN found the 1967 referendum invalid and b) that the referendum was not approved by the UN do not stand up to scrutiny. Please stick to the facts, and don’t make things up.

  21. My God!!!!! Even a notice about the forces working together still brings the same old and very boring faces to the fore to have their usual rant about the situation from the the Pro camp and the Ante camp.

    For once just recognise this for what it is – an element of co-operation between the two sides. Perhaps, just perhaps it may lead to better things especially as the british government are now looking more closely at the situation (perhaps about time).

    Whatever your feelings (and you all know who you are), let us congratulate them in this endeavour to work together and catch the smugglers

    smuggling is something we all want to stop. as well as (as Paddy states very well as wanting a peaceful and workable relationship between Spain and Gibraltar. after all, thousand of Spaniards also work in Gibraltar and they are equally affected by this childish battle

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