Hundreds of kilos of cocaine washes up on UK south coast

Oct 08, 2023

Holdalls containing a “significant” quantity of cocaine have washed up at seaside beauty spots in England.

Durdle Door on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast is beloved for its famous arch-shaped rock formation, while St Aldhelm’s Point along the coast is a popular boating destination.

But recently they were the subject of a surprising discovery, when a fisherman discovered hundreds of kilos of cocaine floating off the coast, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

A second batch was found on a beach by litter-pickers on the west coast of the Isle of Wight on Saturday.

The cocaine is believed to be from South America.

Police are now trying to contact one of the group, a man in his 60s, who found the drugs.

Senior investigating officer Tracey Lake, from the National Crime Agency said: “We believe this a significant amount of class A drugs which would have originated in South America.

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“A loss of a consignment of this size would represent a significant hit to the criminal networks involved.”

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Hampshire’s Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Murray said: “We have been supporting the ongoing investigation with searches across the west Wight today, after a number of packages were discovered this morning by a group who were out litter-picking.

“This work is ongoing, and you will continue to see police throughout the evening and into tomorrow, and we would ask anyone who finds any suspicious bags or packages on the coastline of Hampshire and the island to get in touch with us immediately.

“There is a member of the litter picking group, a man in his 60s, who we want to make contact with, as we continue to speak with everyone in the vicinity this morning, and we would ask him to get in touch with us.

“He is of slim build, around 5ft 6in tall and had short grey hair, with a birthmark on the right side of his mouth.

“Anyone who does locate any suspicious packages should call 999, with our call handlers able to provide further advice.”

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