Man arrested and Portsmouth properties searched in drug smuggling investigation triggered by 28-mile boat chase
A man has been arrested and properties in Portsmouth searched as part of a drug smuggling investigation triggered after £18.4m worth of cocaine was stopped from entering the country.
The man in his early 50s from Cosham was arrested this morning (October 30) on suspicion of conspiracy to import a Class A drug. Seven men have already been jailed in the investigation including Peter Williams, 43, and Scott Johnston, 38, both of Havant, who received sentences of 16 years and nine months and 24 years respectively.
The investigation by the National Crime Agency has continued though, leading to this mornings’ arrest with addresses in Cosham and Southsea being searched.
Border Force uncovered the smuggling when it spotted a suspicious boat off the coast of Newquay on September 13, 2024. A 28-mile chase ensued before the boat ran aground on Gwyner Beach, Penzance, and three people were arrested (Williams, Johnston, and a third man from Barcelona, Edwin Yahir Tabora Baca).
During the chase, six packages were thrown into the sea which were recovered and contained 230kg of high-purity cocaine. Video of the boat running aground can be found embedded in this article.
A subsequent investigation by the NCA, which trawled through CCTV footage, call data and phone messages, led to four more people being arrested. The seven of them were jailed for more than 130 years in total.
Senior investigating officer Barry Vinall, leading the NCA’s investigation, said: “Cocaine is one of the most harmful illegal drugs in the UK. The National Crime Agency and Border Force are working relentlessly to stop cocaine making it from sea to shore, and to identify every individual involved in trying to bring it into the country.”
Further information on the investigation and the previous convictions can be found here.