Police

Stolen luxury yacht recovered in Turkey

The yacht that was stolen from Palma.

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma10/08/2019 11:41

A yacht worth 3.5 million euros was stolen from Palma in April. It was sailed to Greece and then Turkey, from where it has now been recovered following an international operation headed by the Guardia Civil.

It was initially taken to Corinth before moving on to Güllük, where Turkish police boarded and detained three Turks and a Russian. They all had false documentation and had changed the yacht's name and registration.

The yacht is now back in Palma. Inspection has found some damage to the interior and the loss of nautical material valued at around 20,000 euros.

The operation, named Tekne, involved searches of a home in Andratx, a nautical business in Calvia and a luxury yacht in Palma. Three people - Spanish, German and Portuguese - were arrested. Among items seized were two drones. These were to be used in planning yacht robberies.

The group's intention was to change the details and sell yachts at lower than market price but still for very high sums - into the millions. As well as the yacht recovered in Güllük, the Guardia Civil, with the assistance of international police agencies, have secured the return of two other yachts in the past two years. One was also in the Turkey. The other was in Balearic waters and had come from Algeria.