Stornoway man arrested in £96 million international drugs operation after yacht intercepted in Atlantic

A man from Lewis is among three British nationals arrested as part of an international operation against alleged drug trafficking across the Atlantic.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said a 29-year-old from Stornoway was the skipper of a yacht carrying around 1.2 tonnes of cocaine when intercepted in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday.

UK agency officers worked with counterparts in France and Spain to target a crime group suspected of shipping cocaine to Europe.

The operation led to a Spanish-registered yacht being stopped at sea around 1,200 miles east of the island of Martinique, part of the French West Indies.

On board, officers recovered around 40 bales of cocaine weighing around 1.2 tonnes.

The haul had a street value of around £96 million in the UK if mixed with other substances.

The three crew members were arrested and have all been taken to Martinique to face criminal charges.

Following the interception, Spanish authorities in Marbella and Valencia moved in to arrest five further people suspected of involvement in the shipment.

They included a 62-year-old British national, originally from Lincolnshire but now resident in Spain, and his 24-year-old son. They were detained by the Policia Nacional as they sat down at a restaurant in Marbella on 19 December. All five remain in custody as investigations continue.

The operation saw officers from the NCA’s international network working alongside the Spanish police, French customs, the French Navy and the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre Narcotics (MAOC-N) in Lisbon.

NCA international liaison officer, Paul Owen, said: “This multi-national operation has seen a huge consignment of cocaine prevented from reaching Europe, and huge profits denied to organised criminals.

“I have no doubt that some of these drugs were destined for the UK.

“Tackling these global networks requires international law enforcement co-operation, and I’m grateful to our partners in France, Spain, the Caribbean and MAOC-N for their assistance.

“Working together we are determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking groups, and prevent them from fuelling violence, intimidation and decay in UK communities.”

French navy arrest Stornoway man after £96 million of drugs seized from yacht in Atlantic

22 December 2023

A yacht was intercepted in the Atlantic