A spanish-registered yacht that was intercepted off the Caribbean island of Martinique mid-December 2023, was carrying cocaine with an estimated street value of £96million, according to the UK’s National Crime Agency.

Published 9 months ago

Source:  The Guardian

Three people, including a Scottish skipper, were arrested after a spanish-registered yacht was intercepted off the Caribbean island of Martinique carrying cocaine with an estimated street value of £96million.

The trio were arrested as part of an international operation against drug trafficking led by the National Crime Agency (NCA). The NCA worked with other agencies in France and Spain to target an alleged drug trafficking group who were suspected of shipping the class A substance to Europe.

The operation led to the interception of the yacht 1,200 miles east of Martinique, an island that is part of the French West Indies.

The boat was intercepted by a French navy frigate on 18 December, 2023. Officers then recovered about 40 bales of cocaine, which weighed roughly 1.2 tonnes.

The NCA said the estimated street value was about £96m if it were to be mixed with other substances before being sold.

All three crew members were arrested and taken to Martinique to face charges. One of the three is a 29-year-old man from Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis.

The operation later led to the arrest of five people by Spanish authorities in Marbella and Valencia. They include a 62-year-old man, originally from Lincolnshire, and his 24-year-old son. Both are now residents in Spain.  They were detained by Spain’s Policia Nacional at a restaurant in Marbella on 19 December, 2023.

To read the full story,  see links below.

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Related News:

• Crew Arrested after Yacht in the Atlantic intercepted with £96million worth of Cocaine (The Guardian)
• Brits arrested in £96million Cocaine Bust (The Daily Mail UK)
• Scottish Skipper Among Three Arrested in £96m Cocaine Bust (The Independent UK)

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