Man used yacht to smuggle two tonnes of cocaine worth £160M into UK

  • Moment officers seize drugs on board the yacht

A man has admitted smuggling two tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated £160million onto a yacht near Plymouth.

Andrew Cole, 33, pleaded guilty to trying to bring drugs into the country before the authorities seized a luxury yacht in the English Channel.

The Kahu - a Jamaican yacht - was brought into Plymouth last September.

Cole, of Norton Road in Stockton-on-Tees, admitted being knowingly concerned in carrying or concealing a Class A drug on a ship in Plymouth between August 21 and September 10

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He was remanded into custody and is yet to be sentenced.

Five other men charged in connection with the offence have pleaded not guilty and are due to stand trial at Plymouth Crown Court on March 9.

The drugs were found on luxury yacht Kahu. Credit: NCA

They are Billy Downs, 50, Denson White-Morales, 35, Edwin Taylor-Morgan, 40, Brynie Sjogreen, 39 and Ryan Taylor, 43.

The courts are unable to try all five defendants - who appeared over a videolink from HMP Exeter - at the same time due to coronavirus restrictions.