Fishing boat with a tonne of cocaine intercepted off the coast of Cornwall (England)

September 15 () –

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has announced the seizure of approximately one tonne of cocaine on board a fishing boat intercepted off the coast of Cornwall in an operation that has resulted in four defendants being charged.

NCA Commander Derek Evans said: “This is a significant quantity of cocaine which will represent a huge loss for the organised crime group who attempted to import it into the UK.”

“Together with our partners from the Border Corps and the Joint Maritime Security Centre, we have successfully removed this dangerous drug shipment from the criminal market,” he added in statements to the German news agency DPA.

Evans said he was satisfied that he had prevented “onward supply” and the subsequent “exploitation through county lines activity, as well as serious acts of violence and knife crime” that could have taken place. However, he said, “his investigation into this importation is continuing.”

Border Guard officers have arrested four men aged between 26 and 46 who were travelling on the vessel when it was intercepted by NCA officers on Friday afternoon.

The four men – identified as Michael Kelly, Jon Paul Williams, Patrick Godfrey and Jake Marchant – have been charged with “importing Class A drugs” and have been remanded in custody pending their arraignment on September 16.