UK Convicts 11 Drug Smugglers After 500kg Cocaine Dumped From Container Ship At Sea

Eleven people have been convicted in the UK over a plot to recover 500 kg (1,102 lb) of cocaine worth an estimated £40 million ($54 million) after the drugs were dumped into the sea from a container ship in international waters off southern England.

The cocaine was dropped about 40 nautical miles south of the Needles, west of the Isle of Wight, in August 2024.

The waterproof bundles were fitted with GPS trackers so they could be recovered at sea, but the operation nearly failed when the trackers stopped working.

David Paterson, 49, sailed from Haslar Marina in Portsmouth aboard the rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) Amma Sigga in the early hours of Aug. 17, 2024, to collect the drugs. He was accompanied by two other men, one of whom was acquitted at trial while the other cannot be named for legal reasons.

Investigators said the drugs had been thrown into the sea by accomplices aboard a container ship. Paterson was guided by Lewis Watts, 37, who stayed ashore and sent him instructions through WhatsApp.

As the container ship sailed past, Watts messaged Paterson: “Big ship has passed you, flash lights.” He later added: “Big ship has passed you, chase it and flash lights.”

The recovery attempt failed when the GPS trackers stopped sending signals. After searching for several hours, Paterson returned to shore without finding the cocaine and took no further part in the conspiracy.

The following morning, Aug. 18, the trackers started working again. The organised crime group quickly sent another team to recover the shipment.

On Aug. 19, Adil Nolan, 40, left Eastbourne Harbour aboard the Amma Sigga with two other men, one who cannot be named for legal reasons and another unidentified man. They recovered 16 bales of cocaine with a purity of about 85% before sailing to Medmerry Beach near Selsey in West Sussex, where law enforcement officers were waiting.

The cocaine was seized before it could be moved elsewhere.

Seven members of the organised crime group had already admitted their roles. On July 22, a jury at Portsmouth Crown Court convicted three other men and one woman.

The NCA identified Daniel Jamieson, 41, and Sam Brown, 33, as the leaders of the group.

According to investigators, Jamieson posed as a legitimate businessman and used a false identity to buy a maritime business so the group could obtain the RHIB used in the operation. He was convicted of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine.

Brown admitted the same offence. Investigators said he helped recruit others, including his friend Harry Kennedy.

Kennedy, 38, joined the operation after Brown realised the GPS trackers were working again and asked him to help move the cocaine once it reached shore.

Messages recovered during the investigation also showed Brown and Kennedy were involved in separate drug supply activities unrelated to this case. Kennedy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle cocaine.

Watts, from Tilbury in Essex, managed a prepaid credit card used to fund the operation, found landing sites for the RHIB, bought equipment, helped prepare the boat and coordinated members of the group. He was convicted at trial of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine.

Nolan, from Liverpool, admitted conspiracy to smuggle cocaine after skippering the Amma Sigga during the successful recovery mission.

Paterson, whose regular job was on an oil rig in Scotland, was convicted by the jury of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine.

Charlotte Blenman, 34, from Bournemouth, was one of five people waiting at Medmerry Beach to help move the cocaine ashore. She was cleared of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine but convicted of assisting an organised crime group.

The other members of the landing party, Roy Harmer, 46, Neil Pinchbeck, 43, Thomas Stewart, 40, and Ricky Platt, 49, all admitted assisting an organised crime group.

Those convicted of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine will be sentenced on Nov. 5, while those convicted of assisting an organised crime group will be sentenced on Nov. 6.

The NCA thanked Merseyside Police, West Mercia Police, Hampshire Police and Sussex Police for assisting the investigation.

Reference: NCA