Inspectors from the EU have have asked Spanish and UK authorities to impose stricter rules to protect from tobacco smuggling, money laundering and organised crime over the Gibraltar border. The inspectors cited strong evidence that illegal activity including serious organised crime is increasing.
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), carried out the investigation and concluded that “judicial proceedings” should be launched on both sides of the border in an attempt to tackle the increase in crime. A spokesman from OLAF said:
“The investigation has raised a number of concerns regarding the link between a significant increase in the size of the Gibraltar market for cigarettes over the past four years and the subsequent increase of cigarette smuggling across the frontier and corresponding increase in size of the illicit market in southern Spain. The concerns include indications of the involvement of organised crime.”
The office made the recommendations after visits by EU inspectors to the Gibraltar border following complaints that border checks by Spanish authorities caused queues of up to eight hours, for those wishing to cross.
The Spanish authorities claim that the border checks were necessary to control tobacco smuggling into Spain, but Britain and Gibraltar complained that they were “politically motivated and disproportionate” and came in retaliation for Gibraltar sinking an artificial reef in its territorial waters disputed by Spain.
In fact, the OLAF report makes recommendations applicable to authorities on both sides of the border. The OLAF spokesman said:
“The OLAF final case report and recommendations to initiate judicial proceedings related to the findings of the report have been sent to the Spanish General State Prosecutor and to the Gibraltar Attorney General via the UK Permanent Representation in Brussels. As OLAF can carry out only administrative investigations, it is for those authorities to decide what further actions may be necessary.”
Last week in a separate report, the EU Commission stated that the checks carried out by Spain at the border were “disproportionate”.
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