Four individuals charged following discovery of £40 million worth of cocaine in a pub car park

Four men have been charged following the discovery of cocaine, valued at approximately £40 million, found in a van parked at a village pub. The National Crime Agency (NCA) reported the seizure of about 500kg of the drug from the back of a Vauxhall Vivaro van in the car park of the Stags Head Inn in Lelley, East Yorkshire. According to NCA investigators, the half-ton of cocaine was found on Saturday. It is suspected that the drugs were brought ashore from a larger vessel off the coast of Hull using an inflatable boat, which was later found abandoned on rocks at Easington Beach.

 

Anthony McAllister, 32, Daniel Livingstone, 24, and Mark Moran, 22, all from Scotland, have been charged with the importation of class A drugs, as has Didier Javier Tordecilla Reyes, 39, a Colombian national of no fixed abode. They were arrested on Saturday and are scheduled to appear at Hull Magistrates' Court.

 

Alan French, a senior investigating officer with the NCA, stated, "This was a significant amount of cocaine, and its seizure will be a significant blow to the organized crime group that attempted to smuggle it into the UK. There's no doubt these drugs would have been sold into communities around the UK, fuelling further crime and exploitation. Working with our law enforcement partners, we are determined to do all we can to disrupt criminal activity and protect the UK's border security. Our investigation continues following these arrests."

 

The NCA operation received support from Humberside Police, the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, and UK Border Force. In February, a record £450 million worth of cocaine was discovered at Southampton port in a container of bananas, marking the largest-ever seizure of Class A drugs in the UK. The 5.7 tons found exceeded the previous record of 3.7 tons discovered at the same port in 2022.

 

The Johnson Partnership

Nottingham Solicitors

 

01159 419141