Five men face jail for trying to smuggle a £34 million haul of cocaine, weighing almost half a ton, into the country aboard a fishing boat.
All five pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking charge at Hove Crown Court this morning (Monday 20 July) after the National Crime Agency seized 937lb – or 425kg – of the drug last month.
Judge Christine Henson told the men that they would be sentenced on Friday 23 October and remanded them in custody until then.
The drug smugglers were arrested at Sovereign Harbour, also known as Eastbourne Marina, on Monday 8 June
The NCA said: “The drugs were brought into Eastbourne Marina on the New Horizon fishing vessel following collection in the English Channel.”
The five men are
- Alan John Colquhoun, 49, of Oberon, Alloa, Clackmannanshire
- Jacob Cronin, 32, of Elgar Way, Eastbourne
- William Donohoe, 38, of Sycamore Drive, Craigneuk, Airdrie
- Daniel Ruffell, 35, of Humber Way, Slough, Berkshire
- Ian Smith, 49, of New College Close, Eastbourne
The NCA added: “It is alleged four of the men had returned to shore on the fishing vessel New Horizon after collecting the drugs which had been dropped in the English Channel by another vessel.
“The fifth man was not on the boat and was arrested when the other four returned to harbour.”
Carl Barrass, NCA senior investigating officer, said: “The recovery of this quantity of cocaine represents a significant loss to the organised crime group behind its importation and will impact its ability to continue operating.
“Combating the threat of class A drugs is a priority for the NCA and we will continue to work with partners at home and abroad to protect the public.”
The Sentencing Council guidelines suggest that, even after a prompt guilty plea, those with a lesser role could normally expect to be jailed for a minimum of four years.
The maximum sentence is life imprisonment for those in a leading role although, after pleading guilty at the first opportunity, a sentence of about 10 years would be more likely.
