£40m cocaine haul recovered off Isle of Wight after trackers led police to beach landing

Eleven people have been convicted over a plot to smuggle £40m worth of cocaine into the UK after drugs dropped from a container ship were retrieved at sea and intercepted on shore, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

The NCA said the operation took place in mid‑August 2024 when waterproof bundles of cocaine, each fitted with a tracker, were released about 40 nautical miles south of the Needles, west of the Isle of Wight. David Paterson set out from Haslar Marina, Portsmouth, on 17 August to recover the shipment but failed when the trackers did not send a signal.

The following day, after the trackers came back online, the organised crime group deployed a new crew. Adil Nolan left Eastbourne Harbour in a rigid‑hulled inflatable boat and recovered 16 bales of cocaine with a reported purity of about 85% before sailing to Medmerry Beach near Selsey, West Sussex, where officers were waiting.

The NCA said the container ship crew had dropped the packages into the sea and that the boat used to attempt the recovery had been obtained by Daniel Jamieson, who previously used a false name to acquire a maritime business to access the vessel.

Jules Harriman, NCA senior investigating officer, described the seizure as a large one and a serious loss for the criminal group, saying their profits can no longer be ploughed back into further offending. The operation involved Merseyside, West Mercia, Hampshire and Sussex police alongside the NCA.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

The NCA statement and court outcomes show trackers played a key operational role in locating the submerged packages and prompted a second recovery attempt that succeeded. Eleven suspects were prosecuted: three were convicted at trial of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine and one woman was found guilty of assisting an organised crime group, while seven others pleaded guilty to related charges. The recovered cocaine was reported to have an estimated street value of £40m and a purity of about 85%.

The chronology recorded in court and the NCA release indicates the first recovery attempt failed due to tracker malfunction and navigation errors, while the second attempt led to seizure and arrests when officers awaited the landing at Medmerry Beach.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

• Drugs were dropped about 40 nautical miles south of the Needles, west of the Isle of Wight.
• Sixteen bales of cocaine with around 85% purity were recovered and intercepted at Medmerry Beach.
• Eleven people have been convicted or pleaded guilty; sentencing is scheduled for November.