The sailboat ‘Calma’, seized in Calheta seven years ago with 588 kilos of cocaine, was sold today for 54,000 euros. The public auction, promoted by the Regional Directorate for Heritage, took place this morning at the Electricity Museum/Casa da Luz. Four interested parties participated, and the vessel was auctioned after 24 bids. The regional director Élia Ribeiro conducted the disputed bidding, which lasted for half an hour.
The sale was only completed on the third attempt to dispose of the vessel. ‘Calma’ could now be auctioned for a minimum value of 30,000 euros.
Those interested in buying had the last week (March 27th to 31st) to visit the sailboat in dry dock, in the port of Caniçal. According to the public auction rules, the buyer would have to pay 25% of the price at the auction and the remainder in the two days following the public auction.
The vessel was offered for sale for the first time in 2019 for a base price of €65,000, with no interested parties. The second public auction took place in July 2021, with a minimum value of 50,860 euros, but it was also deserted.
The sailboat ‘Calma’ was seized in Calheta, in June 2016, with 588 kilos of cocaine hidden on board, in an operation by the Judiciary Police. The two crew members – an Argentine and a Spaniard – were sentenced to 8 years in prison. The Funchal court determined the loss of the vessel in favor of the State, which, in Madeira, means that it reverts to the Region. Built in 1994, with a motor and sail propulsion system, the 14-meter vessel was reportedly bought by traffickers in 2015 for a value of around 120,000 euros.