Police arrest 2 men, seize sailboat drifting near U.S.-Canada border

The seized sailboat is pictured. (RCMP)

Two men were ultimately arrested after a joint RCMP and U.S. Coast Guard team spotted a sailboat drifting near the Canada-U.S. border last month.

The 8-metre sailboat was spotted on May 4 just west of Stuart Island, Wash., without any controlled movement from its sail or motor.

A Shiprider crew, which is a joint team comprised of RCMP officers and U.S. Coast Guard members, met with the sailboat and were told by the two men on board that they had run out of fuel.

While the two men were speaking, police say that the sailboat began drifting into a shipping lane in U.S. waters.

Police offered to tow the boat to a U.S. port, since it had become a hazard in the shipping lane, but the two men aboard declined and said they'd return to a Canadian port by using their sail, according to RCMP.

During this time, police say they learned that the boat was not registered to either of the men, and that one man had outstanding warrants for his arrest in B.C., while the other man was on conditions not to be on a vessel that he didn't own or possess documentation for.

The Shiprider team escorted the sailboat to shore, where the man who was wanted on warrants was arrested and brought to the Sidney/North Saanich RCMP detachment.

SECOND ARREST

Police say the sailboat had not been reported stolen, so they allowed the second man to continue to sail it as they searched for its registered owner, despite the man's conditions.

The Shiprider team later learned that the boat had been stolen out of Cadboro Bay, B.C., but had not been reported stolen until after the vessel was intercepted by the joint police team.

A Shiprider team found the sailboat sailing south of Pender Island the next day, Mounties say.

The man who was on conditions was at the helm of the boat and he was arrested for possession of stolen property and failure to comply with his conditions, according to RCMP.

Thomas Cudworth now faces charges of possession of stolen property over $5,000, possession of stolen property under $5,000, and breach of undertaking. He's set to appear in court in Victoria on June 15.

The Shiprider team also searched the vessel and found tools and an inflatable boat that had also been reported to be stolen, according to RCMP.

The seized inflatable boat is pictured. (RCMP)

All of the items and the vessel have since been seized by police.

"Inter-agency collaboration is vital to the effectiveness of our border operations," said Insp. Jim Leonard, acting head of the BC RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime Border Integrity Program, in a statement Thursday.

"The mixed crews of our Shiprider program provide the flexibility and authorities required to operate seamlessly in the marine environment on both sides of the border."