The National Crime Agency (NCA) has said it believes that the massive haul of cocaine that washed up on the Isle of Wight back in October 2023 was never meant for the UK market.
It was on Saturday 7th October 2023 that numerous packages of Class A drugs washed up on the shore between St Catherine’s Lighthouse and Isle of Wight Pearl, sparking a major operation in the South Wight.
A large emergency service presence was seen at either end of the search area as Police sought to swiftly and safely locate and seize what was later confirmed to be uncut, high-purity cocaine – believed to have originated from South America.
Tackling things from the sea, the Royal Navy boat HMS Severn was drafted in to patrol the waters whilst the National Police Air Service helicopter kept an eye from the skies above.
In the days that followed, more floating packages were found by fishermen and paddleboarders off the coast of the West Wight. Packages were also discovered on the West Sussex coast.
Some 3 weeks later, on 28th October and as first reported by Island Echo, further packages were discovered at Whale Chine. Whilst not believed to be as large as the initial haul found just a few weeks earlier, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary worked alongside HM Coastguard and Border Force to traverse the clifftops and recover the illicit substance.
On both occasions, the haul was quickly moved by an Armed Police convoy to Cowes – under the cover of darkness – before then being transported to the mainland amid fears that the ‘owner’ of the illegal substance would do whatever they could to get them back, including potentially attacking Police.
At the time of the incident, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said that a loss of a consignment of this size would represent a significant hit to the criminal networks involved.
In the latest update to the case, Island Echo can now reveal that the NCA has confirmed that the value of the haul discovered across all locations – around 1.5 tonnes – had a UK street value in the ‘tens of millions’.
Following their investigations, the authority believe that the destination for the drugs was not the UK.
An National Crime Agency Spokesperson has said:
“The total amount of cocaine recovered across the variety of locations was around 1.5 tonnes, which would have had a UK street value in the tens of millions
“Following an investigation, our assessment is that the intended destination for this cocaine was not the UK. We have shared intelligence with the relevant overseas partners.”
No arrests have been made at this time, Island Echo understands.
With 1.5 tonnes seized, I’d imagine the total actual consignment would be near 2 tonnes, as I’d imagine there would have been a surge of early morning “dog walkers” over those weeks…
I wonder why so many unsavoury looking persons
own dogs.
I feel sorry for the dogs, all dogs should have good
owners and homes to go too.