Gibraltar customs seizes £25m cocaine haul in double ship raid

The operations involved two bulk carriers, M/V Amaris and M/V Chao Tian Men, which had entered local waters to take on bunkers. In both cases, local diving companies hired to conduct routine hull cleaning and underwater inspections identified abnormalities in the sea chest areas and alerted authorities.

HM Customs, assisted by specialist divers, recovered the concealed packages. Interviews with the crew members of both vessels gave no indication of their involvement, and there was no reason to believe the drugs were destined for Gibraltar.

The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo KC MP, said: "I want to congratulate HM Customs Gibraltar and the local diving companies whose vigilance made these seizures possible. The professionalism shown by everyone involved is something Gibraltar should be proud of."

In a separate development, HM Customs Gibraltar recently hosted its first MARINFO South Plenary aboard the Sunborn Gibraltar.

The conference brought together customs authorities and maritime organisations from across Europe, including representatives from Greece, Italy, France, Portugal, Germany, Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia and Romania. The plenary aimed to strengthen collaboration, promote technological innovation and enhance intelligence-sharing capabilities across the participating countries.