UK authorities seize over 1000 kilograms of cocaine

Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Border Force Maritime Command conducted an operation last week just south of Falmouth in Cornwall and seized approximately 50 bags containing what was later confirmed to be over one thousand kilograms of cocaine.

Officers onboard two Border Force cutters, the HMC Seeker and HMC Searcher, boarded the British registered vessel Bianca and discovered the the contraband. 

The Bianca was escorted to Falmouth where a full search was carried out supported by Border Force officers from the new Cornwall Hub which confirmed the presence of the A-class banned substance. 

"A seizure on this scale is likely have a significant disruptive impact right along the supply chain, leaving criminals with large debts to be covered. And it will have knock on effects, disrupting further criminality that would have been funded by the profits of this venture." said Mark Harding of the NCA’s Border Policing Command.

Meanwhile the Border Force’s Director of National Operations Mike Stepney commended the results of the operation as fruits of the multi-agency collaboration in UK to secure the borders and territorial waters. Stepney added, “By working closely with the NCA and our other national and international partners we were able to intercept this vessel before it could deliver its £80 million of cargo to the UK."

The captain of the Bianca has been identified as michael McDermott while his crew included a Dutch national Gerald Van De Kooij and British national David Pleasants. All three have been charged with importing the cocaine and appeared at the Bodmin Magistrates Court on Saturday.

England's Drug Problem

Those abusing banned substances in England are getting younger and younger by the day. Statistics released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre help in understanding the nature of the drug problem in England. 

According to the data, the number of times children were rushed to the hospital has witnessed a 20-percent increase. 

In 2015 795 incidents of children aged 15 or younger who needed emergency medical care were reported, which stood at 672 the year before. 

The numbers suggest two children under the age of 16 are rushed to hospital due to drug overdoses. The substance being abused include cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and cannabis.

The figures were released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, which also carried out a national survey of secondary school children on their experience of drugs.