Court told of 'suspicious' yacht

The boat was taken to Aberdeen Harbour

A High Court drugs trial in Edinburgh has heard how Customs officers trailed a yacht for 24 hours in the North Sea earlier this year.

The yacht Red Scorpion was then boarded and taken to Aberdeen.

Christian Ekkebus, 29, Albert Hulst, 43, and Arjeh Vandjik, 33 deny being part of a scheme to carry or conceal a cargo of cannabis resin destined for the UK or the Netherlands.

Mr Ekkebus has lodged a special defence claiming threats were made against him and his wife.

Commander David Hargreaves described events during a patrol which began with his vessel, the Searcher, leaving Kirkwall, Orkney, on 21 June.

The trial is at the High Court in Edinburgh

The customs men sighted a yacht that evening and were able to make out the letters "Red Sco" and "Vall" on the vessel's stern.

A black, red and yellow flag was wrapped tightly round the flagpole.

Commander Hargreaves, who has been sailing customs patrols for 27 years, said he thought the "Vall" might refer to the boat's home port of Valleta in Malta, but the flag seemed to be Belgian or German.

"In my experience it is normal practice to fly the flag of the country of registration."

He added: "The boat appeared to me to be well used and not perhaps in the pristine condition I would expect a boat of that size to be."

Boarding party

Over the radio the crew said they had left the German Port of Bremerhaven to sail round Fair Isle and were on their way back.

Commander Hargreaves said he thought there would be little point in such a voyage, unless it was part of a race.

The Searcher began to trail the yacht, keeping them under radar observation.

The following evening they were order to stop and receive a boarding party.

The trial, which is expected to last for four weeks, continues.