Four men have been jailed for more than 82 years in total, for their parts in a plot to smuggle cocaine worth millions into the UK.

Scott Johnston, 38, of Havant and Edwin Yahir Tabora Baca, 33, of Barcelona, Spain tried to outrun pursuing officers for around 28 miles at sea after their cocaine-laden boat was spotted off the coast of Cornwall.

They were today [1 August] jailed for 24 years and 17 years 7 months respectively at Truro Crown Court.

Michael May, 47, of Brentwood; and Terry Willis, 44, of Chelmsford, helped organise collection of the cocaine, worth £18.4m. They were also sentenced to 19 years’ and 21 years 8 months’ imprisonment.

A further two men – Peter Williams, 43, of Havant and Bobbie Pearce, 29, of Brentwood – are to be sentenced on 21 August, while Alex Fowlie, 35, of Chichester will be sentenced on 5 September.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) began investigating after Johnston, Williams and Tabora Baca were arrested when their rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) ran aground on Gwynver Beach, Penzance on 13 September 2024.

The men had been pursued for around an hour by Border Force officers who had spotted their RHIB on the horizon while carrying out an operation off the coast of Newquay, Cornwall.

Read more

0000