Isle of Wight Man Arrested in £10 Million Cocaine Bust Probe
Massive Cocaine Haul Sparks Major Investigation
National Crime Agency (NCA) officers swooped on the Isle of Wight, arresting a 43-year-old man linked to a staggering 97-kilo cocaine haul at Newhaven port, East Sussex. The drugs seizure, worth around £10 million, happened last November and has sparked an ongoing crackdown.
Suspect Held in Ryde on Drug Import Charges
The man was detained yesterday (Sunday 29 March) at an Ashley Road address in Ryde, suspected of conspiracy to import class A drugs. Supported by Hampshire Police, the NCA quizzed him before granting bail pending further inquiries.
Frozen Fish Van Conceals £10M Cocaine Load
Border Force officers made the original seizure in the early hours of 23 November, uncovering 97 packages of cocaine hidden in a frozen fish van. Each package weighed roughly a kilo, making this one of the biggest busts in recent memory.
Driver Charged, Organised Crime Under Siege
The van’s driver, 50-year-old James Satterley from Cookham, Maidenhead, was charged with importing class A drugs and now faces trial. NCA branch operations manager Martin Matthews vows to keep hitting organised crime hard:
“Our investigation continues. Working with Border Force and policing partners, we’re determined to disrupt these large-scale importers of class A drugs.”
