Peterborough man part of gang which tried to smuggle £40m of cocaine
A Peterborough man who was part of a gang who tried to smuggle £40m of cocaine has been convicted of his role in the
Thomas Stewart, 40, of Carpenter Close, Peterborough, was one of 11 criminals identified by police as part of the gang.
The National Crime Agency said the gang nearly lost all of their haul when a GPS system failed at sea.
A spokesperson for the NCA said: “Eleven criminals have been convicted over a plot to recover 500kg of cocaine from the sea after they nearly lost the lot when their GPS trackers failed.
“David Paterson, 49 sailed out from Haslar Marina in Portsmouth into international waters in the early hours of 17 August 2024 to collect the consignment which had a street value of £40m.
“It is believed the drugs were dropped into the water about 40 nautical miles south of the Needles, to the west of the Isle of Wight, by an accomplice crew aboard a container ship.
“The drugs were in waterproof bundles, each fitted with a tracker.
“The plan was for Paterson to see where the drugs were dumped and fish them out with two other men he was with – one who was acquitted at trial and another who cannot be named for legal reasons.
“They would then return to shore in their rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) - the ‘Amma Sigga’ – and the drugs moved to safety and sold to other crime groups across the country.
“But the container ship sailed past Paterson who was taking directions via WhatsApp from OCG accomplice Lewis Watts, 37, who was ashore.
““Big ship has passed you, flash lights,” he instructed Paterson.
“Increasingly desperate, Watts added: “Big ship has passed you, chase it and flash lights.”
“The container ship sailed on leaving Paterson to locate the drugs from the trackers – but the trackers had failed and were not sending a signal.
“Several hours later Paterson, whose day job was on an oil rig in Scotland, returned to shore empty handed, and played no further part in the conspiracy.
“Some time in the morning of 18 August, the trackers came back online and the OCG scrambled a new crew to locate the Class A drugs.
“The following day Adil Nolan, 40, left Eastbourne Harbour in the Amma Sigga to finally retrieve the drugs. He was with a man who cannot be named for legal reasons, and an unnamed third man.
“The trio recovered 16 bales of cocaine with a purity of about 85% and sailed the RHIB to Medmerry Beach near Selsey in West Sussex where law enforcement officers were waiting for them.”
Seven members of the gang had admitted their roles in the enterprise – and on Wednesday (July 22), three others were found guilty after a trial.
The NCA said the OCG bosses were Daniel Jamieson, 41, and Sam Brown, 33.
Jamieson, of Heath Road, Ramsden Heath, Essex was convicted at trial of conspiring to smuggle cocaine.
Brown, who lived at Wykeham Street, Kirkdale, Liverpool, during the conspiracy period admitted the same charge.
Harry Kennedy, 38, lived on the same street in Liverpool as Brown. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle cocaine.
Lewis Watts, of Toronto Road, Tilbury, Essex, was convicted at trial of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine.
Adil Nolan, of Maureen Walk, Fazakerley, Liverpool, admitted conspiring to smuggle cocaine.
David Paterson, of Viking Way, Peterhead near Aberdeen, was convicted of conspiring to smuggle cocaine by the jury.
Charlotte Blenman, 34 of Shelley Road East, Boscombe, Bournemouth, was convicted of assisting an organised crime group.
The other landing party criminals were: Roy Harmer, 46, of Chine Road, Bournemouth; Neil Pinchbeck, 43, of Pearce Road, Poole; Thomas Stewart, 40, of Carpenter Close, Peterborough; Ricky Platt, 49, of Westby Road, Boscombe, Dorset. All four men admitted assisting an organised crime group.
Those convicted of conspiring to smuggle cocaine will be sentenced on 5 November. Those convicted of assisting an organised crime group will be sentenced on 6 November.