THE IRISH skipper of a fishing boat has been convicted of trying to smuggle around a tonne of cocaine into Britain.
The drugs haul - the biggest seizure of cocaine in Britain in 2016 - had a potential value of nearly £84million.
Michael McDermott, 68, from Co. Waterford, was found guilty by a jury at Bristol Crown Court following a one week trial.
National Crime Agency and Border Force officers arrested McDermott on August 18, 2016 alongside shipmates David Pleasants, 57 of Peppercorn Walk, Grimsby, and Gerald Van de Kooij, 27 of Amersfoort, Netherlands.
Both Pleasants and Gerald Van de Kooij admitted drug importation offences, but McDermott had denied the charge, claiming he knew there were drugs on board but had been forced into shipping them.
Today, April 6, McDermott was sentenced to 16 years in prison, Pleasants to 14 years and de Kooij to 12 years.
McDermotts boat was tracked for over 24 hoursMark Harding, senior investigating officer from the NCA’s border investigation team, said: “Michael McDermott used his specialist skills as a sailor to attempt to evade border controls.
“His was a crucial link in a chain that leads from cocaine manufacturers in South America to drug dealers in the UK.
"In stopping this consignment we have prevented further criminality by the gangs who bring violence and exploitation to our streets.”
David PleasantsLast August authorities tracked McDermott's vessel, the MV Bianca, via radar for over 24 hours, acting on intelligence that it was carrying drugs.
The Bianca was intercepted as it entered British waters off the coast of Cornwall, where and a joint team of National Crime Agency and Border Force officers boarded the vessel, detaining the crew.
The vessel was then escorted into Falmouth where a full search could take place.
Specialist Border Force teams located bales of cocaine hidden under bags of sand and gravel in the boat’s fish hold.
There were 38 bales in total each weighing between 25 and 30 kilos.
It took around two days to remove the drugs from the vessel.
In total the haul weighed 939 kilos.
Forensic experts found that the cocaine was between 60 and 70 per cent pure.
They estimate that if cut to street purity and sold in Britain it would have had a potential value of nearly £84million.
The drugs found on board had a street value of over £80millionMcDermott initially claimed not to know the two men he was arrested with.
He had a previous conviction for drug trafficking, where he had admitted being paid to sail a boat from Spain containing cannabis.
Bales of cocaine were hidden under bags of sand and gravel in the boat’s fish holdNCA investigators were also able to establish that he had purchased the Bianca in Whitstable, Kent.
McDermott paid £17,000 in cash just weeks before his arrest, telling the seller that he planned to sail to Spain and use it for diving and chartered angling trips.
The bill of sale was also signed by David Pleasants using a false name.
The MV BiancaThe trial heard how the boat was then taken to Ramsgate for work to be carried out on it.
Pleasants was with McDermott while that happened, with the two men sleeping on the boat.
Van de Kooij had flown in from the Netherlands on August 12, a few days before the trio set off on the Bianca from Ramsgate.
Gerald Van de KooijNavigation records show the boat sailed through the English Channel and out into the Atlantic, before turning round and heading back towards Cornwall.
Investigators believe it was at this turnaround point, south of Ireland, that the Bianca took the cocaine on board from another vessel.
Mike Stepney, Director National Operations, Border Force said: “The huge haul of dangerous drugs that Michael McDermott and his crew sought to sneak into the UK had the potential to do untold harm to countless people around the country.
“The prosecution of this crooked captain and his criminal crew underlines once again how our close work with partners like the NCA is successfully keeping communities in the UK safe from a range of threats."
Updated: This story was amended on April 6 to reflect sentencing of McDermott, Pleasants and de Kooij.
See More: Border Force, Drugs, Featured, NCA, Waterford
