Three individuals, one of whom is a Scottish captain, have been apprehended following the confiscation of cocaine valued at £96 million from a ship on the ocean.
The group of three individuals were taken into custody as a result of a global effort to combat drug trafficking, spearheaded by the National Crime Agency (NCA). The NCA collaborated with authorities in France and Spain to focus on a suspected drug trafficking organization that was believed to be transporting a highly dangerous substance, classified as class A, to Europe.
The maneuver resulted in the capture of a yacht with a Spanish registration, located 1,200 miles to the east of Martinique, an island belonging to the French West Indies.
On December 18th, a French navy frigate stopped and boarded a boat. The officers found approximately 40 bales of cocaine weighing around 1.2 tonnes.
According to the NCA, the approximate value of the substance would be £96m if it were combined with other materials and then sold.
All three individuals on board were apprehended and transported to Martinique to be prosecuted. One of the detainees is a 29-year-old male from Stornoway, located on the Isle of Lewis.
The procedure resulted in the capture of five individuals by Spanish officials in Marbella and Valencia. These individuals consist of a 62-year-old man, who is originally from Lincolnshire, and his 24-year-old son. Both are currently residing in Spain.
On December 19, Spain’s Policia Nacional apprehended them at a restaurant in Marbella.
The investigation is ongoing and all five individuals remain in custody.
Officials from the NCA’s global team collaborated with the Spanish National Police, French customs, the French naval force, and the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre Narcotics (MAOC-N) in Lisbon, Portugal.
The NCA’s liaison officer for international affairs in Madrid, Paul Owen, stated: “This cross-border operation has successfully intercepted a large shipment of cocaine from reaching Europe, thus depriving organized criminals of significant profits.”
There is no doubt in my mind that some of these medications were intended for the United Kingdom.
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International collaboration among law enforcement agencies is essential in addressing these global networks. I am appreciative of the support and assistance provided by our partners in France, Spain, the Caribbean, and MAOC-N.
“We are committed to collaborating in order to actively combat and dismantle drug trafficking organizations, and prevent them from contributing to violence, intimidation, and decline in communities within the UK.”
Source: theguardian.com
