A crime bross and ten fellow gang members conspired to retrieve a £40m cocaine haul from the sea, but it all went south when the GPS trackers failed. Sam Brown, 33, of Wykeham Street in Kirkdale, Liverpool, was among the 11 involved in the plot.
On August 17, 2024, David Paterson, 49, set off from Haslar Marina in Portsmouth to collect the 500kg haul. The drugs were thrown overboard by an accomplice crew and sealed in waterproof bundles with GPS trackers. But the trackers didn't transmit a signal, leaving Paterson stranded.
The next day, the trackers came back online, and Adil Nolan, 40, set off from Eastbourne Harbour to retrieve the drugs. They managed to collect 16 bales of high-purity cocaine but were met by law enforcement at Medmerry Beach. Following a trial at Portsmouth Crown Court, four members were found guilty, while seven others had already pleaded guilty.
NCA senior investigating officer Jules Harriman said, 'This was a large seizure of cocaine and represents a serious loss for the crime group. Their profits can no longer be ploughed back into further offending.'