Six arrests as cocaine worth £60m seized from boat in Fishguard
- Published
Seized £60m cocaine haul "the weight of a small car"
One of the largest hauls of cocaine in UK history has been found on board a boat in Welsh waters.
National Crime Agency officers arrested six people as part of the operation and have recovered 250kg of the drug, with a further 500kg - with a street value of £60m - expected to be found.
The boat was targeted as part of an intelligence-led operation as it sailed into Fishguard harbour, Pembrokeshire.
The search began early on Tuesday and is expected to last another day.
Officers from the NCA and the Border Force intercepted the boat, the Sy Atrevido, which had sailed from South America, about half a mile off the coast.
Two men aged 53 and 41 - who are British nationals - were arrested on board and remain in custody.
Four others - three men aged 23, 31 and 47, and a woman aged 30 - were arrested in Liverpool and Loughborough and have been released on bail.
The yacht (left) was intercepted in the Fishguard area before being brought in for searching
The Sy Atrevido had sailed from South America with two crew
Craig Naylor, deputy director of investigations at the NCA, said: "We are still working on the seizure. But so far we have taken 250 kilos off the boat.
"We believe, and what we can see, there is a further 500 kilos on the boat bringing it to a total of 750 kilos. That's the same weight as a Mini motor car.
"It's a really major haul. This amount of drugs going into the UK market would saturate the place for a long period of time.
"It would place vulnerable people in county lines situations in even more danger. What we have done is to disrupt that market significantly.
"We are trying to make sure that criminals who are trying to profit from the misery drugs cause don't have that opportunity."
Craig Naylor is deputy director of investigations at the NCA
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