Two tonnes of cocaine seized off the coast of southern England

Gulf Today Report

The National Crime Authority (NCA) announced on Monday it seized more than two tonnes of cocaine worth £160 million ($221 million) on a yacht off the coast of southern England.

Six men between 24 and 49 years of age were arrested including a Briton and five Nicaraguans during the raid, which was launched with the support of Australian Federal Police and UK Border Force, according to the NCA.

The suspects were arrested around 130km away from the coast on a Jamaican flagged yacht sailing from the Caribbean. The drugs, which were stored in black waterproof bags in the lounge of the yacht, were found during the ship inspection.

The NCA pointed out that the Australian Federal Police provided them with information collected as part of its Ironside investigations, which led in June to a global arrest campaign against organised crime gangs, thanks to international co-operation through the Anom app to reveal encrypted messages among guerrilla members.

“There’s no doubt these drugs would have been sold on into communities across the UK,” said Matt Horne, NCA deputy director.