Border Force officers launched into a dramatic chase after two drug smugglers on a boat carrying £37million worth of cocaine jumped into the water to escape.
Bruce Knowles, 55, of Dereham, Norfolk, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 31, from the Netherlands, were intercepted by Border Force near East Benacre Broads in Suffolk with 350kg of cocaine stashed in the hall of their inflatable boat.
Investigators believe the pair travelled out to sea to meet a larger boat from which they picked up the huge stash of illegal substances.
Footage released by the National Crime Agency (NCA) shows Gumrukguoglu jump out of the speedboat and swim towards the beach.
Border Force officers launch dramatic chase after drug smugglers leap from boat laden with £37m of cocaineNCAThey were initially stopped when the Border Force cutter moved but Knowles started the engine before he proceeded to follow Gumrukguoglu’s lead and leapt into the choppy water as he tried to escape officers.
Gumrukguoglu was pursued by officers from Norfolk and Suffolk Police, and he was arrested later that day in Wrentham, Norfolk.
The boat was towed to a harbour in Lowestoft where it was searched by NCA officers, who discovered the illegal substances hidden under tarpaulin in the haul.
Both men were interviewed and gave no comment. They were later charged at Ipswich Crown Court with importing a controlled drug and pleaded guilty. They will be sentenced later this year.
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Investigators believe the pair travelled out to sea to meet a larger boat from which they picked up the huge stash of illegal substances
NCA
NCA Branch Commander Lydia Bloomfield said: “Knowles and Gumrukguoglu knew they were going to lose a huge quantity of drugs when they were intercepted at sea by our Border Force colleagues.
“Both were working for a wider organised crime group, who will now feel the effects of a loss of this amount.
“Thanks to the work of our Border Force and Joint Maritime Security Centre partners, a very significant amount of class A drugs have been removed from the criminal marketplace where they would have fuelled further criminality and exploitation.
“The NCA will continue to work with partners to protect the public from serious and organised crime.”
Both men were charged at Ipswich Crown Court with importing a controlled drug and plead guilty
NCA
Sally Hawkyard, the Border Force deputy director, said: “Our Border Force officers played a pivotal role in detecting and seizing millions of pounds worth of cocaine, which ensured that these two men were brought to justice.
“We remain committed to stopping illegal drugs from entering the country, where they ruin lives and fuel organised criminal gangs.
“Border Force will continue to work tirelessly to keep the public safe and our borders secure.”