The extent of a major, multi-agency operation to recover millions of pounds worth of cocaine from around the Isle of Wight is now becoming clear – with a further package located on a beach in West Sussex yesterday (Thursday).
This week Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, the National Crime Agency and Border Force officials have been working to locate, seize and analyse bundles of Class A drugs that have been found floating in the sea and on the beaches around the Island, with assistance provided by HM Coastguard and Lowland Search and Rescue.
It was last Monday that hundreds of kilos of cocaine – thought to originate from South America – were found off the Dorset coast, prompting a major operation to be launched by law enforcement agencies. More drugs were located off Dorset on Friday.
It was on Saturday that more bundles were found – this time on beaches along the South Wight coast. As previously reported by Island Echo, helicopters and planes scoured the coastline in a bid to locate the then-suspected Class A drugs.
It is now known that a group of litter pickers found some of the drugs, with a man in his 70s also finding a haul on the beach near Atherfield. He was 1 of 2 people seen removing the cocaine from the beach that day. The 2nd man is still in the wind, as exclusively reported by Island Echo on Monday.
On Sunday, even more bundles of cocaine – thought to weigh up to 50kg each – were located. A fisherman is now known to have located a significant number of packages floating in the sea off Freshwater. Much like the find in Dorset, they were tied together and kept afloat with barrels.
A single bundle – containing individual black, red and turquoise packages labelled with ‘POPI’ – was located on the beach near Brighstone at Sunday lunchtime. Around the same time, a paddleboard found another package floating in the sea off Freshwater which was then taken ashore to the local lifeboat station.
All of the drugs were taken to a location near the Isle of Wight Pearl on Military Road, where Armed Police guarded the massive haul before it was taken off-Island. It’s thought that this took place in Cowes on Sunday night.
It’s strongly believed that none of the packages had been in the water long and had perhaps been jettisoned from a vessel – either for a pre-arranged pick-up or in panic.
The National Crime Agency said on Wednesday that they believed all of the drugs had been found, but packages are still washing up. At lunchtime yesterday (Thursday), Armed Police were deployed to Ferring Beach in West Sussex when an identical package washed up on the shore, again containing individual parcels labelled ‘POPI’.
Although unconfirmed, it’s thought that a further discovery was made near Grange Chine, Brighstone on Wednesday morning. There was a false alarm at Compton on Tuesday afternoon also.
I often wondered how Isle of wight Pearl has kept a massive building going, selling pearl trinkets, as just how many people ‘want’ to buy such tat on a holiday to keep a massive costly building going.
I would like to see their books, and view any cash payments with scrutiny as amazing that Robin Hills can’t make ends meet, yet selling pearls can apparently weather all economic downturns. Odd.
Ok grandpa, lets get you sat down and a nice cup of tea.
Maybe that is why they can afford to turn away customers who want to pay by cash.
“”They obviously don’t need the money””
Lol
Gerald does have a point, how does such a large business flourish, selling a limited if not rare demanded product, being located far away, and usually only having elderly people visit via coaches.
But if they don’t accept cash then likely not much use for money laundering, as pubs, resturants,and businesses who do take cash could do.
Perhaps every struggling business ought to add some Pearl jewellery to its stock to ride out the Winter of discontent fast approaching
Funny how all the south Wight small time drug dealers have gone underground since this lot has been found, in hiding I would expect.
You them all then do you? You know they have not been around do you? How do you know that then? Why would they have been in hiding? Are you suggesting the “south Wight small time dealers” were the master minds behind importing millions of pounds of coke to the Isle of Wight? What a prick.
I did tell them cause you keep getting your pecker out at kids
Little man with a little prick is that you
Funny how you know.
Have you been trying to get in contact with them?
I’m sure the coppers put a few drugs in there pockets, bent coppers everywhere.
Spoken like a true Baghead trying to deflect
No I agree, police these days are less trustworthy than the general public. The statistics and reports speak for themselves. What just because they put on a uniform they are automatically trustworthy? Why are they teaching young girls to not go with loan officers? To ask for proof and wait for a 2nd officer?
What’s a loan officer? Is that who you approach for a loan?
This event has been compared to ” Whiskey Galore”. Perhaps it will come on Netflix as “Coke Galore”. Then we can sit down to watch Whiskey and Coke.
It is not known as Drug Isle for nothing
Now we know why it is called the isle of WHITE
No way I’d be handing that in hahaha retirement right there.
What’s the betting the beaches will be packed this weekend
Everyone will be looking for treasure
Lol
A Police Officer just knocked at my door saying he was looking for a man with a facial birthmark?
I suggested using their eyes; they might find him quicker.