UK Police Chase Ends with £18m Cocaine Seizure, Four Men Jailed

A high-speed maritime drug smuggling operation off the Cornish coast led to the seizure of £18.4 million worth of cocaine and the arrest of seven men involved in an international trafficking network using 'mother ships' to drop cocaine bales at sea for smaller boats to collect. The Border Force spotted and pursued an inflatable boat for 28 miles, during which the smugglers dumped cocaine bales into the sea before running aground at Gwynver beach, where several suspects attempted to flee but were arrested. Sentences totaling over 80 years were handed down at Truro Crown Court to key figures including Scott Johnston and Edwin Yahir Tabora Baca, who received 24 years and over 17 years respectively, and their co-conspirators Michael May and Terry Willis, who received lengthy prison terms for organising the smuggling. The National Crime Agency highlighted the sophisticated logistics involving South American and British gangs coordinating at-sea drug drop-offs, with the cocaine destined for UK cities like London and Essex, posing significant societal harm. Additionally, a separate drug smuggling gang led by Jordan Stoker in County Durham was sentenced to a combined 75 years for an international operation involving drug mules traveling to Thailand to retrieve narcotics, with police seizing drugs valued at £13 million. Both cases reflect ongoing complex international drug trafficking networks operating through maritime and air routes, prompting multi-agency law enforcement responses.