An organised crime gang lost £40 million worth of cocaine in the sea during a botched smuggling operation after GPS trackers attached to the drugs failed to transmit a signal. The plot unravelled when the tracking devices malfunctioned, leaving the gang unable to locate the 500kg haul thrown overboard from a container vessel.
Sam Brown, 33, of Wykeham Street in Kirkdale, Liverpool, was among 11 individuals involved in the conspiracy. The scheme began on August 17 2024, when David Paterson, 49, departed from Haslar Marina in Portsmouth to collect the drugs. The cocaine was believed to have been cast into the water approximately 40 nautical miles south of the Needles, west of the Isle of Wight, by an accomplice crew aboard a container ship.
GPS Trackers Fail
The drugs were sealed in waterproof bundles, each equipped with a GPS tracker. The plan was for Paterson to locate the drop point and retrieve the cocaine with two other men. However, the container vessel sailed past Paterson, who was receiving instructions via WhatsApp from associate Lewis Watts, 37, who remained on shore. Watts messaged: "Big ship has passed you, flash lights." He later added: "Big ship has passed you, chase it and flash lights." The container ship continued, leaving Paterson to rely on the trackers, which had malfunctioned and were not transmitting a signal.
Paterson, who worked on an oil rig in Scotland, returned to shore hours later without success. The next morning, August 18, the trackers resumed functioning, and the gang hastily assembled a new crew to find the cargo.
Recovery and Arrests
On August 19, Adil Nolan, 40, departed Eastbourne Harbour aboard the rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) Amma Sigga to collect the drugs. He was joined by a man who cannot be identified for legal reasons and an unnamed third individual. The trio retrieved 16 bales of cocaine with approximately 85% purity. They navigated to Medmerry Beach near Selsey in West Sussex, where law enforcement officers were waiting.
Following a trial at Portsmouth Crown Court on July 22, three men and one woman were found guilty in connection with the organised crime group. Seven additional gang members had previously pleaded guilty.
Key Convictions
Daniel Jamieson, 41, of Heath Road in Ramsden Heath, Essex, was described as one of the OCG leaders alongside Sam Brown. He posed as a legitimate businessman and purchased a maritime business using a false identity to acquire a boat for the operation. He was found guilty of conspiring to smuggle cocaine.
Brown admitted the same charge, playing a crucial role in recruiting others, including his friend Harry Kennedy, 38, also of Wykeham Street, Kirkdale. Kennedy became involved on August 18, when Brown realised the GPS trackers were functioning and enlisted him to help move the cocaine once ashore. Messages between them revealed involvement in unrelated drug supply. Kennedy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle cocaine.
Lewis Watts, of Toronto Road, Tilbury, Essex, was Jamieson's close associate and a key figure. He controlled a prepaid credit card financing the operation, sourced landing locations, researched and acquired equipment, and acted as an intermediary. He was convicted at trial of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine.
Adil Nolan, of Maureen Walk, Fazakerley, Liverpool, captained the Amma Sigga during the recovery and admitted conspiring to smuggle cocaine. David Paterson, of Viking Way, Peterhead near Aberdeen, was found guilty of the same charge.
Charlotte Blenman, 34, of Shelley Road East in Boscombe, Bournemouth, was part of the landing party at Medmerry Beach, tasked with removing drugs from the beach. She was acquitted of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine but convicted of assisting an organised crime group.
Other landing party members included Roy Harmer, 46, of Chine Road, Bournemouth; Neil Pinchbeck, 43, of Pearce Road, Poole; Thomas Stewart, 40, of Carpenter Close, Peterborough; and Ricky Platt, 49, of Westby Road, Boscombe, Dorset. All four pleaded guilty to assisting an organised crime group.
Sentencing and Impact
Those found guilty of conspiring to smuggle cocaine are due to be sentenced on November 5, while those convicted of assisting an organised crime group will face sentencing on November 6.
Jules Harriman, NCA senior investigating officer, 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 and we've prevented these toxic drugs from reaching UK streets where they poison people's lives."
