My yacht is impounded

[P3sailor]

Say's the "420" sailor!

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by boatman61

If it's a decent yacht wave bye bye..
Once the case is settled and trial and sentencing is completed some Spanish guy is going to get a very cheap yacht at an 'Auction'..
If it's just average to crap you might win the bidding.

I'll agree this will most likely be the fate of your boat. US would act similarly and the feds auction off boats all the time. If you go to the auctions you may see someone bidding on a boat well above its value. (That would be the previous owner).
Bummer to learn other countries drug laws the hard way.
Older news article, but apparently doesn't take much to get your vessel seized. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-...736-story.html

[boatman1]

I’m surprised that folks are still trying to smuggle dope in sailboats, with the ability of law enforcement these days to monitor what’s going on. Imagine, they ( the authorities) kept tabs on this boat as it sailed back and forth across the Atlantic as if it were an inland lake. Pretty risky biz, and if I were the original poster of this thread, I’d be thanking my lucky stars that there hasn’t been an insistent knock on my door.

[goboatingnow]

Drug busts on sailboats usually end up with the interior virtually removed in the search ( I’ve seen on such boat )

The yacht is gone mate forget about it.

[tweitz]

It seems like the authorities were suspicious of the boat at the outset of the voyage if not earlier. That suggests that the owner has far more serious risks to consider than the recovery of the boat.

[Martkimwat]

Originally Posted by Bill O

I'll agree this will most likely be the fate of your boat. US would act similarly and the feds auction off boats all the time. If you go to the auctions you may see someone bidding on a boat well above its value. (That would be the previous owner).
Bummer to learn other countries drug laws the hard way.
Older news article, but apparently doesn't take much to get your vessel seized. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-...736-story.html

This link is behind a paywall....

[sailingforfun]

Originally Posted by gibsonih

In 2020 I gave my mechanic permission to use our yacht so that he could accompany a charter fleet across the Atlantic. Or so he said.
Our yacht was boarded west of the Canaries and a large consignment of drugs were found on board.
He was arrested, and as far as we know our yacht is still impounded in the Canaries.
Quotes to engage a Spanish lawyer were about the same value as the yacht, so we didn't pursue the legal route.
No one has contacted us.
Can anyone offer advice as to how to reclaim our yacht?
Yacht is registered in Croatia. We live in South Africa.

I'm sure the authorities have heard this story a 1,000 times, "You didn't know he was going to use your boat for illegal purposes". How do the authorities know you were not going to receive a piece of the proceeds if your mechanic was successful? Kiss your boat goodbye.

Your only course of action is against your mechanic. You let him use your boat and he didn't return. End of story.

[Lionshooter]

Originally Posted by Martkimwat

This link is behind a paywall....

L.A. TIMES ARCHIVES
MAY 9, 1988 12 AM PT

MIAMI — The Coast Guard seized a 133-foot yacht valued at $2.5 million after finding one-tenth of an ounce of marijuana aboard, claiming the vessel under a “zero tolerance” crackdown on drugs.
The Ark Royal, registered in Delaware with its home port in Philadelphia, was seized Saturday in international waters between Mexico and Cuba after Coast Guard officers found the butt of a marijuana cigarette in a trash can and a small amount of marijuana in a stateroom, Coast Guard officials here said.

[Lionshooter]

When it ever does go to court, the druggies will say that the owner knew about the operation and was going to receive a cut of the profits for use of the boat.
I think I would change my name and move to the Amazon jungle.

[Lionshooter]

When it ever does go to court, the druggies will say that the owner knew about the operation and was going to receive a cut of the profits for use of the boat.
I think I would change my name and move to the Amazon jungle.

[Sailing August]

In the eyes of law enforcement; You are a drug king pin running an international smuggling operation. You have bigger problems than getting your boat back. If you land on EU territory, you will likely be arrested.
"I lent it to my mechanic" is not a very good cover story.
The authorities know who owns the boat. They will be looking for you.
Be careful.

[ArmyDaveNY]

I wish you the best of luck with this. Please keep us informed as this proceeds through the courts. There is a lot of opinion, however it would be rather useful to see how the facts play out. Again, good luck with it.

[Dooglas]

Ah, you turned over your Beneteau 46 to your mechanic in a "gentleman's agreement" for him to sail it across the Atlantic for vaguely defined purposes. No written agreement stating terms or any other documentation? Now you are surprized that the boat has been impounded and wonder what to do next. Heck, you haven't even convinced me that you have no connection to what occurred. How do you expect to convince the Spanish authorities?

[DEAN2140]

I am posting because I am interested in further developments.

[Group9]

I wouldn’t be worried about that boat. I would be worried about what was going to happen to me.

If the owner is truly uninvolved in this venture, he has got to be as dumb as a rock.