Cocaine with street value of £80m seized by police off Cornish coast

The haul was discovered on a British registered converted fishing trawler in waters just south of Falmouth

The drugs were seized during a joint operation involving NCA and Border Force maritime command officers (AFP/Getty)

More than a tonne of cocaine with a street value of £80m has been recovered from a boat off the south coast of England, the National Crime Agency has confirmed.

Three men have been arrested and charged following the operation, which Border Force has described as “one of the most significant drug seizures ever made in the UK”.

The haul was discovered on a British registered converted fishing trawler, on Thursday, in UK waters just south of Falmouth, in Cornwall.

It was seized during a joint operation involving NCA and Border Force maritime command officers, who boarded the boat and found around 50 bags suspected of containing cocaine. The NCA said the seizure would have a “significant disruptive impact” on the supply chain.

The owner and captain of the boat, Michael McDermott, 67, an Irish national, and his crew, Dutch national Gerald Van De Kooij, 26, and Briton David Pleasants, 57, appeared at Bodmin Magistrates' Court on Saturday charged with importing cocaine. They have been remanded in custody until their next hearing at Bristol Crown Court on 20 September.

PA