Three men charged for importing cocaine found attached to lobster pots

03 June 2010

Three men arrested following the recovery of approximately 300kilos of cocaine attached to lobster pots off the coast of the Isle of Wight have been charged with conspiracy to import Class A drugs and remanded I custody.

The charges follow an extensive joint operation by officers of the joint SOCA – Metropolitan Police Middle Market Drugs Project, the UK Border Agency and Hampshire Police.

While on patrol in international waters on Sunday 30th May, the UKBA cutter HMC Vigilant observed the Galwad-Y-Mor SU116 acting suspiciously.

Considerable surveillance was carried out over the course of the bank holiday weekend and later that Sunday the same vessel was observed acting in a suspicious manner in Freshwater Bay off the coast of Isle of Wight. The vessel docked at Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, and the three men were subsequently arrested. 

On the morning of Monday 31 May, officers attended a location off Tennyson Point, Isle of Wight, and recovered 11 rucksacks containing approximately 30kg cocaine each. 

Two of the men charged are local to the Isle of Wight; the third is a Croatian national.