Cocaine worth £80m seized from converted fishing trawler

Laura Hodgetts
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An estimated £80million-worth of cocaine have been seized from a British-registered converted fishing trawler off the coast of Falmouth in Cornwall.

On Thursday, as part of a joint National Crime Agency (NCA) and Border Force operation, officers deployed from two Border Force cutters, HMC Seeker and HMC Searcher, plus two NCA and Border Force maritime command boarding parties intercepted the vessel Bianca and discovered around 50 bags of the suspected drug.

The Bianca was then escorted to Falmouth where a full search was carried out supported by Border Force officers from the new Cornwall Hub. The vessel was found to have more than a tonne of cocaine on board.

The fishing vessel Bianca being intercepted. Credit: NCA

The fishing vessel Bianca moments before being intercepted. Credit: NCA

Mark Harding of the NCA’s border policing command said: ‘A seizure on this scale is likely have a significant disruptive impact right along the supply chain, leaving criminals with large debts to be covered. And it will have knock on effects, disrupting further criminality that would have been funded by the profits of this venture.’

Border Force’s director of national operations Mike Stepney said: ‘This is one of the most significant drugs seizures ever made in the UK and a testament to the multi-agency approach we adopt to secure the UK’s border and territorial waters.

‘By working closely with the NCA and our other national and international partners we were able to intercept this vessel before it could deliver its £80million of cargo to the UK.

‘This seizure is a fantastic example of the vital role our officers play in preventing drugs from reaching the UK and keeping our communities safe.’

The operation was assisted by the National Maritime Information Centre and Devon & Cornwall Police. The NCA investigation continues.

The Irish Captain, Michael McDermott (DOB 24/11/1948) and crew, Dutch National Gerald Van De Kooij (DOB 09/09/1989) and British National David Pleasants (DOB 15/06/1959), were charged with importing the cocaine and appeared at Bodmin Magistrates Court on Saturday 20 August.

All three have been remanded in custody until their next hearing at Bristol Crown Court on 20 September.