Gibraltar police officers awarded Spain’s Order of Merit for cross-border police cooperation against criminal gangs

Two officers from Gibraltar’s police force have been honoured for their work with Spain’s Guardia Civil in tackling money laundering and drug trafficking crimes.

In a display of the close collaboration and a sign of the “excellent working relationship” between the two forces, the RGP officers were awarded Spain’s Order of Merit in a ceremony held in Tarifa on October 10.

Chief Inspector Sean Perera and Detective Inspector Craig Goldwin received the awards as part of the celebration of the Virgin del Pilar fiesta, the patron saint of the Guardia Civil for police work carried out in joint operations dating back to 2019,

Their police work led to the arrest of members of a criminal organisation that used Gibraltar to launder its profits as well as the dismantling of the entire network.

The ceremony was attended by the Director General of the Guardia Civil, Maria Gamez, and RGP Commissioner Richard Ullger who said approval of the honour had come right from the top, from Spain’s Interior Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska.

“The work of my officers has been of international importance and I am delighted that it has been formally recognised by the senior officers of the Guardia Civil”, said Ullger after the event.

“In fact, the awarding of this medal is a historic milestone, as it was approved by the Minister of the Interior himself.”

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