Colombian National Jailed 13 Years for £42m East Yorkshire Cocaine Smuggling Plot

Didier Tordecilla Reyes, a Colombian national, was sentenced to over 13 years in prison for his integral role in a major drug smuggling operation that attempted to import 524 kilograms of cocaine, valued at more than £42 million, into the UK via a small boat. Reyes acted as a key contact with Colombian drug cartels and traveled specifically to the UK to facilitate the smuggling, which involved sailing a rigid hulled inflatable boat from Hessle slipway to a beach near Easington caravan park where the drugs were unloaded. The operation was thwarted by the National Crime Agency (NCA), supported by Humberside Police and Border Force, who intercepted the drugs hidden in a hire van and arrested Reyes and his accomplices Mark Moran and Daniel Livingstone. Court proceedings revealed that Reyes booked into a hotel under a false name and communicated with higher-ups in the drug cartel, indicating his significant responsibility for the safe handling and transmission of the drug consignment. Judge Mark Bury emphasized there was no evidence of duress and acknowledged the NCA’s efforts in significantly disrupting the cocaine supply chain in the UK. This case is considered one of the UK's largest drug seizures, reflecting a successful multi-agency law enforcement effort.