Galician drug runners, who sparked a diplomatic incident when they were chased into Gibraltar Port by a Spanish Guardia Civil launch

Courts in Gibraltar have found the two alleged Galician drug runners, who sparked a diplomatic incident when they were chased into Gibraltar Port by a Spanish Guardia Civil launch, guilty of entering Gibraltar illegally and illegally importing a launch with two 2,500 cc outboard motors, prohibited on the Rock. They were also charged with entering a military zone.Francisco Javier Otero and José Antonio Falcón, both from Pontevedra, were each fined 5,000 pounds Sterling, and given 90 days arrest. They have now however been handed over to the Spanish authorities. They face charges in Spain of obstructing justice.Meanwhile the Gibraltar police commissioner, Louis Wink, has been giving more details of the incident, and says that the chasing Guardia were in a state of shock when they questioned them. He denied reports that they had been advised by the Civil Guard of their presence with a set of signals, saying it was a resident in Harbour Views who had alerted them to the chase.Wink said he hoped the incident would not be repeated as relations between the two police forces were excellent. He also revealed that the Gibraltar police checked the guns of the Civil Guards, and saw that they had not been fired.Back in Spain the four Civil Guards have given their version of the events to the enquiry opened after the event and El País reports that no disciplinary action is to be taken against them.