A local man has today been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of Possession with Intent to Supply Cocaine worth around £5,268 – following an RGP investigation.

Manuel Hernandez, 37, of Beach View Terraces, was found guilty by a jury at the Supreme Court on 6 November.

The court heard that at around 1150am on Thursday 3 November 2022, RGP Armed Response Vehicle officers were exiting Devil’s Tower Camp in a marked police car, when Hernandez sped past them on a Yamaha T Max. Officers then watched the vehicle swerve from lane to lane without indicating, whilst riding over the speed limit.

After activating their blue lights to pursue the motorcycle, officers initially lost sight of it due to a build-up of traffic. But the officers caught up with him in the Varyl Begg Estate.

Officers stopped Hernandez to speak to him about his manner of driving, but noticed he was becoming increasingly nervous. After asking him for his driving licence, he opened his black man bag, but left the bag’s zip open, leaving the contents clearly visible.

Officers then spotted what they thought were controlled drugs and arrested him on suspicion of Possession of a Controlled Class A Drug.

At New Mole House, Drug Squad detectives took over the investigation and removed the plastic wrap from his bag and further arrested him on suspicion of Possession with Intent to Supply a Controlled Class A Drug.

The substance was later analysed by the Gibraltar Health Authority’s Public Analyst, who confirmed it was Cocaine Hydrochloride, weighing 87.8 grammes.

Hernandez accepted being in possession of the Class A Drug before the trial – but denied Possession with Intent to Supply the drug. 

Detective Constable James Quigley, the officer in charge of the investigation, said: “This was a substantial amount of cocaine that has been taken off the streets thanks to the eagle eyes of the RGP’s Armed Response Officers and a subsequent investigation by a team of detectives. This result will no doubt help keep our streets safer from drugs.”

Commissioner of Police Richard Ullger, added: “I would like to publicly thank the officers involved for their professionalism and hard work during this investigation. This is a good example of how our front line officers are playing a key role in tackling drugs in Gibraltar, despite us having to re-deploy our Drug Squad officers to other high-risk areas of policing.”

The court heard that Hernandez has nine previous convictions for drug related offences, including three for supplying Class A Drugs such as cocaine.