Cocaine 'worth £100m' found on yacht

Officers found more than a ton of cocaine onboard with a street value of over £100 million

Cocaine with a potential street value of up to £100 million was found on a catamaran stopped by Border Force.

Two British men and three Europeans were arrested on Thursday in Newlyn, Cornwall, after the 60ft yacht Nomad was escorted to the harbour.

The men have now been charged with conspiracy to import cocaine.

UK nationals Nigel Clark, 63, and Dean Waters, 60, both of no fixed address, were appearing before magistrates in Bristol on Friday.

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The packages were seized after the yacht was intercepted off the Southern Irish Coast

Skipper Richard Must, 48, from Estonia, and crew members Voldemars Gailis, 20, from Latvia and Raymond Dijkstra, 27, from the Netherlands, are also due to appear at Bristol Magistrates' Court.

The boat was intercepted in the Western Approaches off the Southern Irish Coast as part of the National Crime Agency (NCA)-led operation.

NCA deputy director of investigations, Graham Gardener, said the interception was the result of an "intelligence-led" operation.

He said they found a ton of cocaine which had a potential street value of over £100 million.

It came as a result of work by the Maritime Analysis Operations Centre in Lisbon which is a European multi-agency set up.

There was also assistance from Border Force, the Irish authorities, the Irish Navy and Devon and Cornwall Police.

Head of Border Force Maritime, Gordon Scarratt, said "a significant quantity of cocaine has been taken out of circulation".

The men are due to appear before Bristol Crown Court on 4 October.

The yacht was escorted to Newlyn Harbour by Border Force