More than 40 'narco-boat' drug smugglers arrested in major police sting
More than 40 people have been arrested after a major drugs raid busted a "narco-boats" gang accused of trafficking cocaine into the EU.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Black Shadow, saw police forces from around the world work together to seize nearly 3,800 kilos of cocaine, 69 vehicles and €100,000 (£84,232) in cash.
A British national was among the 48 arrested during last Tuesday's raids, the National Crime Agency confirmed to Sky News.
The gang used "mother ships" to transport cocaine from South America to the Canary Islands, with 11 speedboats used to ferry the drugs to shore.
They even turned an abandoned shipwreck into a refuelling platform for the speedboats and boats, according to Spain's Policia Nacional.
The criminal network used a "complex encrypted communications system" to evade police, including the use of satellite terminals, hard-to-trace phones and a coded language.
Twenty-nine houses were searched in Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.
"The criminal network specialised in smuggling large quantities of cocaine from South America into Spanish territory using high-speed boats, said an NCA spokesperson to Sky News.
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Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Female cocaine dealer who enjoyed drugs-funded luxury life of Louis Vuitton handbags and holidays must pay back £100,000 she made from crime
A woman who ran a cannabis and cocaine dealing operation to fund her lavish has been ordered to pay back £100,000. Danielle Stafford, 31, from Hallgate, Cottingham, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in April 2023 after pleading guilty to three offences. Before Hull Crown Court, she admitted to being concerned in supplying heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis, and another of possessing cash as criminal property on dates spanning October 2017 and May 2020. The former University of Hull graduate made so much money from selling drugs that she splashed out on nine luxury watches, three Louis Vuitton handbags and even a second house. The case resurfaced this week as the court determined how much money Stafford made from criminal activities - and how much she would be ordered to pay back. With Stafford attending the hearing via a video link from prison, prosecutor Nadim Bashir confirmed a criminal benefit figure had been agreed at £96,263. She has been ordered to pay this amount within three months or face another year of prison time, to be served consecutively. During the original trial, it was revealed that Stafford was caught by pure chance when she was stopped for speeding and officers could smell cannabis coming from her silver Audi on May 12, 2020. When questioned about the stench, Stafford 'immediately lied', telling police: 'I'll be honest, I've got this' and handed over a small silver wrap containing two buds of cannabis skunk. Police went onto find more drugs on her including two food bags containing cannabis skunk. On the way to the police station, Stafford was seen 'fidgeting' with her jogging bottoms and she was asked if she had any more drugs hidden. She said: 'Yes, but it's not mine and I don't know what it is. I shoved it down my joggers when you pulled me.' Stafford pulled out a bag containing cocaine. There were 56 wraps of crack cocaine, valued at £2,800. An iPhone was also found with drug messages on it. 'From the moment of seizure of the drugs to the arrival in the police station custody suite, the mobile iPhone was constantly ringing and receiving messages from different people,' said Mr Bashir. 'Some 30 phone calls were received and 10 to 20 text messages.' After forcing entry, officers found £26,917 cash stashed around her three-bedroom home in Cottingham and drugs with a street value of £33,600. She also had luxury goods including nine watches and three expensive Louis Vuitton handbags, Hull Crown Court heard. A glass jar with plastic drugs bags inside it was found hidden behind a bag of coal bricks in the rear garden. There, officers found 270 wraps of crack cocaine, valued at £13,500, and 205 wraps of heroin, valued at £4,100, in the jar. Stafford denied knowledge of them. In the living room, herbal cannabis, valued at £2,500, was found in an open, empty banana box on a table. She denied that it belonged to her. Two glass jars were found to contain cannabis valued at £370. Police also found weighing scales, a large amount of cash and more food bags. She admitted that this belonged to her. In Stafford's bedroom, herbal cannabis and Ecstasy tablets were discovered alongside wads of cash Wads of cash. More cash, totalling £7,580, was found in a safe but she denied that it was hers. Three Louis Vuitton handbags and nine watches were uncovered. She admitted that these were hers but pretended the designer items were fake or had merely been given to her by family members from their holidays to places like Turkey and Spain. In an upstairs box room, cash bundles of £9,100, £1,668, £550, £700, £1,110, £165, £190 and £91 were found. Examination of Stafford's bank accounts revealed a string of luxury holidays had been taken. Mr Bashir said this was 'evidence of an additional stream of cash income' apart from her monthly wages from working for Swift Group. Stafford had bought her Cottingham home in March 2016 for £124,999 with a mortgage and a property in Hotham Road South in July 2018 without a mortgage for £68,500 in equal shares with her aunt. Stafford paid the 'lion's share' of £64,927 from cashing in premium bonds and she told police that she bought it to rent out. 'Even with rental or lodgings allowances, neither property was able to provide any significant source of income to justify the cash found in the house,' said Mr Bashir. During police interview, Stafford claimed that a Liverpudlian man had been staying with her on and off and that he had phoned her to say that he had left something at her address. When she got home, there was a large amount of cannabis and, when he asked her to take it to him, she said that she did not feel comfortable doing so. She claimed that he asked her to bring a bag of drugs and, in a panic, she grabbed it and was driving to meet him when she was stopped by police. Stafford denied that she or the lad were dealing drugs but later admitted that she would drive to Liverpool and bring him back to Hull. She denied knowledge of any of the large amounts of cash found around her home, claiming that she looked after it for the man, including keeping it for him in her own bedroom - apart from £2,350 which belonged to her. 'She said that the money in the safe had nothing to do with her and all the other cash belonged to the lad,' said Mr Bashir. The prosecutor told the court that Stafford was an 'enthusiastic' cannabis dealer and progressed to becoming a Class A cocaine dealer. 'She had somehow managed to avoid her drug dealing activities coming to the attention of the police for a substantial period of time,' said Mr Bashir. 'The natural result of this was that she was able to accumulate a substantial amount of wealth, including purchasing an investment property, a house to rent. Cash found in her home address amounted to £26,917. 'The contents of her home address in Hallgate, Cottingham, is strong evidence of the nature of her drugs business. The amount, type and value of drugs found at her home were substantial. The drugs alone were street valued at £33,600. This is sustained drug dealing.' During the 2023 hearing, Saleema Mahmood, mitigating, said that Stafford was dealing cannabis but claimed that her involvement in Class A dealing came about due to her association with a person from Liverpool. She argued that evidence of any Class A dealing was extremely limited and came from two sets of messages. The lawyer claimed there was an element of naivety and exploitation in Stafford's involvement and she had little influence on those above her in the chain. Stafford also said that her family was in the habit of keeping large amounts of cash at home, rather than in a bank, and that she was entrusted to look after it for others as she was seen as being a 'responsible' person who could be 'trusted' with money. The court were shown references from previous employers and told that Stafford had tried to get work and had volunteered.
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Luxury-loving engineer, 31, who ran drug empire to fund lavish holidays & buy second home ordered to pay back just £96k
A LUXURY-loving woman ran a cannabis and cocaine empire to fund a lavish lifestyle of foreign holidays and expensive treats - before being rumbled after a costly mistake. But Danielle Stafford has now been ordered to pay more than £96,000 back as the proceeds of crime, and she's got just 12 weeks to stump up the cash. 8 8 8 The 31-year-old made so much money by selling drugs that she bought a second house and lived without touching any of her job salary. She pretended that most of the expensive items that were found were not designer goods but were fake or had merely been given to her by family members from their foreign holidays. She was caught when police spotted her speeding. A phone constantly rang with 30 calls or pinged with up to 20 drug messages after she was arrested and police later found £26,917 cash stashed around her home and drugs with a street value of £33,600. She had luxuries including nine watches and three expensive Louis Vuitton handbags, Hull Crown Court heard. Engineer and University of Hull graduate Stafford, 31, formerly of Hallgate, Cottingham, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in April 2023 after she admitted three offences of being concerned in supplying heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis and another of possessing cash as criminal property, on dates spanning October 2017 and May 2020. But the case resurfaced and was mentioned again so that the court could make a final decision on how much money Stafford was said to have made from her criminal activities. Nadim Bashir, prosecuting, said that the criminal benefit figure had been agreed at £96,263. She was ordered to pay it within three months – or face a default prison sentence of one year, to be served consecutively. Stafford attended the hearing via a video link from prison. Moment gutted lag is arrested at prison gates as he LEAVES jail after drug-dealing from his cell The matter had originally been scheduled to be a contested full hearing but agreement was reached between the sides. During the original court hearing in 2023, Mr Bashir said that police spotted a silver Audi heading along Priory Road towards Hull city centre at 7.30pm on May 12, 2020. It was speeding and hastily turned onto Hotham Road South, cutting the corner and cutting up a vehicle heading in the opposite direction. "It was then driven at speed along Hotham Road South," said Mr Bashir. The car was followed and it was stopped in The Odd Bottle car park on Wold Road. Police could smell cannabis coming from the inside of the car and this aroused their suspicions. She "immediately lied" and told police: "I'll be honest, I've got this" and handed police a small silver wrap containing two buds of cannabis skunk. Police found further bags of cannabis on her, including a food bag containing cannabis skunk and, from a pocket, another food bag containing cannabis skunk. 8 8 8 The car was searched and a carrier bag of cannabis skunk was found behind the driver's seat. An empty tub containing drug residue was found. The total value of the cannabis was £1,308. An iPhone was found, with drug messages on it. "From the moment of seizure of the drugs to the arrival in the police station custody suite, the mobile iPhone was constantly ringing and receiving messages from different people," said Mr Bashir. "Some 30 phone calls were received and 10 to 20 text messages." On the way to the police station, Stafford was seen "fidgeting" with her jogging bottoms and she was asked if she had any more drugs hidden. She said: "Yes, but it's not mine and I don't know what it is. I shoved it down my joggers when you pulled me." Stafford pulled out a bag containing a large amount of small bags of cocaine. There were 56 wraps of crack cocaine, valued at £2,800. Her three-bedroom home in Cottingham was searched after police forced entry. A glass jar with plastic bags inside was found hidden behind a bag of coal bricks in a coal bunker in the rear garden. From the moment of seizure of the drugs to the arrival in the police station custody suite, the mobile iPhone was constantly ringing and receiving messages from different people Nadim Bashirprosecuting There were 270 wraps of crack cocaine, valued at £13,500, and 205 wraps of heroin, valued at £4,100, in the jar. Stafford denied knowledge of them. In the living room, herbal cannabis, valued at £2,500, was found in an open, empty banana box on a table. She denied that it belonged to her. Two glass jars contained cannabis valued at £370. Police also found weighing scales, a large amount of cash and more food bags. She admitted that this belonged to her. In Stafford's bedroom, £430 cash and £25.36 in coins were found. Herbal cannabis and Ecstasy tablets were found. Bank notes totalling £670 were found as well as £2,350 and £1,480 cash. More cash, totalling £7,580, was found in a safe but she denied that it was hers. Three Louis Vuitton handbags and nine watches were found. She admitted that these were hers. 8 8 In an upstairs box room, cash bundles of £9,100, £1,668, £550, £700, £1,110, £165, £190 and £91 were found. Examination of Stafford's bank accounts revealed that "she clearly had an additional stream of cash income" apart from her monthly wages from working for Swift Group. Holidays had been taken but there was no trace from her bank account of her buying foreign currency or making purchases overseas. "Again, evidence of an additional cash stream income," said Mr Bashir. Stafford had bought her Cottingham home in March 2016 for £124,999 in her sole name with a mortgage and a property in Hotham Road South in July 2018 without a mortgage for £68,500 in equal shares with her aunt. Stafford paid the "lion's share" of £64,927 from cashing in premium bonds and she told police that she bought it to rent out. "Even with rental or lodgings allowances, neither property was able to provide any significant source of income to justify the cash found in the house," said Mr Bashir. During police interview, Stafford claimed that a Liverpool lad had been staying with her on and off and that he had telephoned her to say that he had left something at her home. She had somehow managed to avoid her drug dealing activities coming to the attention of the police for a substantial period of time. Nadim BashirProsecuting When she got home, there was a large amount of cannabis and, when he asked her to take it to him, she said that she did not feel comfortable doing so. She claimed that he asked her just to bring a bag which was there and, in a panic, she grabbed a bag and was driving to meet him. Stafford denied that she or the lad were dealing drugs but later admitted that she would drive to Liverpool and bring him back to Hull. She denied knowledge of any of the large amounts of cash found around her home, claiming that she looked after it for the lad, including keeping it for him in her own bedroom, apart from £2,350 which belonged to her. "She said that the money in the safe had nothing to do with her and all the other cash belonged to the lad," said Mr Bashir. He told the court that Stafford was an "enthusiastic" cannabis dealer and progressed to becoming a Class A cocaine dealer. "She had somehow managed to avoid her drug dealing activities coming to the attention of the police for a substantial period of time," said Mr Bashir. "The natural result of this was that she was able to accumulate a substantial amount of wealth, including purchasing an investment property, a house to rent. "Cash found in her home address amounted to £26,917. "The contents of her home address in Hallgate, Cottingham, is strong evidence of the nature of her drugs business. "The amount, type and value of drugs found at her home were substantial. The drugs alone were street valued at £33,600. This is sustained drug dealing." During the 2023 hearing, Saleema Mahmood, mitigating, said that Stafford was street dealing cannabis and regularly and frequently took part in this. She claimed that her involvement in Class A dealing arose through a person from Liverpool. Evidence of any Class A dealing was extremely limited and came from two sets of messages. This came much later than the cannabis enterprise. There was an element of naivety and exploitation in her involvement and she had little influence on those above her in the chain. Stafford claimed that she had only the "odd piece" of designer item and that so-called expensive watches and other items bought were counterfeit or had been bought as presents for her by her family on holidays to places like Turkey and Spain. She also claimed that the family was in the habit of keeping large amounts of cash at home, rather than in a bank, and that she was entrusted to look after them for family members because she was seen as being a "responsible" person who could be "trusted" with money. She had shown remorse for what she had done. There were references from previous employers and others. She had tried to get work and had done voluntary work.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
The crack-riddled seaside town where dealers flog £15k hauls in Asda bags and junkies hole up in filthy ‘death row'
DESPAIRING residents of a world-famous seaside town are so fed up of its drugs problem they are taking antidepressants. Bridlington, in East Yorkshire - once an upmarket and bustling resort - is still renowned for its excellent shellfish and is referred to as the Lobster Capital of Europe. 17 17 17 17 Tourists continue to flock to the area, which was used as a filming location for the 2016 remake of Dad's Army, to take advantage of its sandy beaches and funfair. But a short distance from the promenade, on Tennyson Avenue, also known as "death row", drug deals are taking place in broad daylight. The scruffy terraced street was once the pride of the town and home to upmarket B&Bs, but in recent years has suffered a sharp decline. The Victorian buildings, which retain little of their former grandeur, have been converted into HMOs and flats or else lie empty and boarded up. Shortly before 8.30am on a grey, cloudy morning, a scrawny woman walks along the street, which is littered with empty cider cans, clutching a bottle of vodka. Residents speak of being forced to defend themselves against "crack heads" and nightmare neighbours, who set fire to their flats. One pensioner says she used to be proud to call Tennyson Avenue home, but now barely recognises it. The woman, who was too scared to give us her name, said: "The best thing about Bridlington now is the road out of it. "Ex prisoners used to live next door, and they were drug taking and setting fire to the place. "It was 24/7. It was the first time in my life I had to get anti-depressants. "There is drug dealing going on all the time. There's a particular car I recognise and it's dropping things off all the time. "They deal everything, but it will definitely be crack cocaine. You see them outside houses waiting for drugs, doing their rain dance. "You can't go out now without your door locked. Houses around here are full of drugs. "When I moved here it was excellent. It was really quite wonderful. "I used to be proud to say, I live on Tennyson Avenue, but I'm not now. There's not much I can do, I have to live through it." 17 17 17 Simon Elvidge worked as a commercial diver before he was diagnosed with cancer and moved to the street. The 59-year-old has been forced to fend off drug takers determined to start fights while high on cocaine. He said: "This road used to be posh. But now it is full of druggies and drugs. "It has gradually become worse but I think this is happening to every seaside town. "They deal all sorts of drugs around here. At one point we had a place on the corner which used to house people coming out of jail. "That was a mini crime wave. They would shoplift to pay for their drugs. "The police are up and down all of the time. I worry about it but I can handle myself. I've had to do it a few times. "I've had to knock a few crack heads out. One time I had a guy who came up to me and wanted to start a fight. "But they don't even know what they're doing most of the time, they're so high. "I've been here six years but I came from a village to move here. "That was a huge eye opener for me." Left to rot Sat between Tennyson Avenue and the beach is a former HMO which is now boarded up and in a state of neglect. A sign stuck to the outside simply reads: "CLOSED. To protect your community from anti-social behaviour." Around the corner, CCTV cameras operate in the back alleyways and there are signs warning people not to fly-tip. One camera has been painted over, rendering it useless. 17 17 17 Tennyson Avenue was recently home to Michael Severn, until he was sent to prison for six-and-a-half years for drug dealing. Severn, 31, was found with an ASDA carrier bag between his legs containing £15,000 worth of cocaine. A local who didn't want to be named tells us he used to be part of the area's criminal activity before turning his life around. The young man said: "I grew up around here. It has gone really downhill. "It used to be a thriving town and it was a main seaside attraction but now lots of places have closed down. "Drug deals happen all down this road. They deal all kinds of drugs but definitely crack cocaine. 17 17 17 "I've had my own demons in the past but came out the other side. "I was homeless for months but I used my will power and stopped being around the wrong people. "All of the people who told me to hang around and stay are the ones still living in tents now. "There is one back alley just off this road where all of the druggies go to. "They are all over this area. You see them waiting around in plain sight." Desperate deprivation The most up-to-date figures released by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) ranked Bridlington South as the 45th most deprived area in England out of almost 33,000. In 2021 there were 30 drugs death in East Riding, up from 22 in 2020. And last year, Bridlington suffered the humiliation of being named the worst coastal resort in Yorkshire. In March, three criminals were sent down for a combined 17 years after flooding the town with £3million worth of crack cocaine. Lee Jenkinson, 32, Luke Gibson, 35, and Liam Langton, 27, were snared after a lengthy police probe into rising violence and drug activity between gangs in the town. 17 Georgina Marie is originally from Hull but moved to Bridlington to live with her partner. The tutor fears for the future of her one-year-old daughter. The 28-year-old said: "We live five minutes from the centre and people will openly drug deal in the middle of the afternoon in the street. "But they will admit to doing it. They don't hide it. "It's a lot of weed in the town centre but there's other drugs elsewhere. I worry for my little one. If I had my own way I'd live in the middle of nowhere and send her to a private school. Georgina "They are trying to make it a better area for the tourists rather than the people who live here. "We don't need a new car park, we need community centres for the kids. "A new car park will be great for the tourists but the locals won't use it. But instead kids are on the streets here because they have nowhere else to go. "I would go to the park as a kid but now they're not safe enough." "Now we see drug dealing in Bridlington and I worry it will escalate to people carrying knives etc. by the time my daughter is older." 17 17 A spokesperson for East Riding of Yorkshire Council pointed to their Clear Hold Build scheme, which is a "concerted effort to improve quality of life in Bridlington, including by tackling organised crime and antisocial behaviour". They added: "The aim is to disrupt and dismantle Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) by clearing the area of OCGs, then building community resilience to prevent their return. "The council has also supported the police by using closure orders against council properties which have been the site of antisocial behaviour, to bring immediate relief to residents." Ian Foster, the Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Humberside Police, said: "Over the past year our Neighbourhood Policing Team have been working relentlessly in Bridlington to tackle anyone who has been causing harm in the area. "We continue to take part in the multi-agency Home Office Clear Hold Build Initiative, which has involved large scale disruption of those involved in organised crime through warrants, arrests and charges. "As a result of our ongoing work through this initiative, since April 2024, the courts have issued a total of 99 years and five months in prison sentences in relation to organised crime in Bridlington. "With continued operations to tackle organised crime gangs and drugs dealing, such as Operation Shield, we continually gather intelligence, conduct Misuse of Drugs Act warrants and arrest and bring to justice those who commit drugs offences in our communities. "Throughout the summer months we have also been running Operation Coastline, our proactive approach to tackling crime in our coastal region as the number of visitors increases. "Bridlington is a fantastic place to live, work and visit and we are proud to be part of the community here. "I urge anyone with any concerns or information about crime to please get in touch via our non-emergency 101 line or speak to an officer on patrol."
