Border Force officers launch dramatic chase after drug smugglers jump from boat with £37m worth of cocaine

Posted on by Vaseline

Border Force officers launched a dramatic chase after two drug smugglers on a boat carrying £37 million worth of cocaine jumped into the water to escape.

Bruce Knowles, 55, from Dereham, Norfolk, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 31, from the Netherlands, were intercepted by Border Force near East Benacre Broads in Suffolk with 350kg of cocaine hidden in the forward cockpit of their inflatable boat.

Investigators suspect the pair traveled out to sea to find a larger boat, from where they collected the huge amount of illegal substances.

Footage released by the National Crime Agency (NCA) shows Gumrukguoglu jumping from the speedboat and swimming towards the beach.

Boat chaseBorder Force officers launch dramatic chase after drug smugglers jump from boat with £37m worth of cocaineNCA

They were initially stopped when the Border Force cutter started moving, but Knowles started the engine before following Gumrukguoglu’s example and jumping into the choppy water as he tried to escape the officers.

Gumrukguoglu was pursued by officers from Norfolk and Suffolk Police and 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 were concealed under the tarpaulin.

Both men were interviewed and made 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.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

Boat chase

Investigators believe the pair went out to sea to meet a larger boat, from where they picked up the huge quantity of illegal substances.

NCA

Lydia Bloomfield, NCA Branch Commander, said: “Knowles and Gumrukguoglu knew they were losing a huge quantity of drugs when they were intercepted at sea by our Border Force colleagues.

“Both worked for a wider organised crime group, which will now feel the consequences of a loss of this amount.

“Thanks to the work of our partners at Border Force and the Joint Maritime Security Centre, a significant proportion of Class A drugs have been removed from the criminal market, where they would otherwise have fuelled further crime and exploitation.

“The NCA will continue to work with partners to protect the public from serious and organised crime.”

Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 31, Bruce Knowles, 55,

Both men were charged at Ipswich Crown Court with importing a controlled drug and pleaded guilty

NCA

Sally Hawkyard, Deputy Director of Border Force, said: “Our Border Force officers played a vital role in detecting and seizing millions of pounds worth of cocaine, which resulted in these two men being brought to justice.

“We remain committed to preventing illegal drugs from entering the country, where they destroy lives and fuel organised crime gangs.

“Border security will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the safety of the public and our borders.”

Avatar for Vaseline
Vaseline https://newspowergreen.biz.id

You May Also Like

More From Author