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Sunday World
09-05-2025
- Sunday World
Four drug smugglers caught with a ton of high purity cocaine on board fishing boat
NCA investigators established that a tracker found in the drugs haul was linked to a user in South America Packages are seized and examined on board the Lily Lola Four drug smugglers who were caught with more than a ton of high purity cocaine on board their fishing boat off the coast of Cornwall have been jailed in the UK. Michael Kelly (45), Jake Marchant (27), Jon Williams (46) and Patrick Godfrey (31) were convicted after a trial in March for their roles in attempting to smuggle the £100m haul on board the Lily Lola, in September of last year. The men were caught after the Border Force cutter HMC Valiant was on patrol off the north coast of Cornwall shortly after 2pm on September 13 and deployed a RHIB (rigid hulled inflatable boat) to intercept the Lily Lola. Williams, the captain who was at the helm, had bought the boat for around £140,000 two months earlier. Michael Kelly, Patrick Godfrey, Jon Williams and Jake Marchant. Photo: NCA Marchant, of no fixed abode, was next to him while Kelly, of Portway, Manchester, was in the accommodation area. Godfrey, of Danygraig Road, Port Tennant, Swansea, was asleep in a deck chair. After the Lily Lola was taken into a secure port, the seized substances on board were divided into bales and removed from the vessel. Testing proved that it was high purity cocaine. An electronic device that had been on board was downloaded and some messages were recovered showed the boat had been receiving instructions and co-ordinates from a third party. Godfrey's phone also revealed a message he had sent reading: 'Delete everything u see and not show anybody'. His phone also showed there was an internet search of, 'how long does it take a ship to leave Peru to UK'. NCA investigators established that a tracker found in the drugs haul was linked to a user in South America Williams, Godfrey and Marchant made no comment when interviewed and Kelly claimed he was on a fishing trip. However, Kelly and Marchant pleaded guilty before trial at Truro Crown Court on October 15 and were sentences to 21 years and 18 respectively this week. Packages are seized and examined on board the Lily Lola News in 90 Seconds - May 9th Williams was sentenced to 26 years while Godfrey was handed down a 25 year sentence NCA branch commander Derek Evans said the agency works around the clock to fight the threat of Class A drugs which wreck people's lives and devastate our communities. He said: 'Working with Border Force and the Joint Maritime Security Centre, we prevented a huge haul of cocaine from hitting the streets of the UK and wider Europe and ensured organised criminals are deprived of the significant profits they would have gained had these drugs made it into the country.'
Daily Record
09-05-2025
- Daily Record
Smugglers caught with £100m of cocaine in fishing boat at seaside coast jailed for 90 years
The British men were onboard a fishing boat called the Lily Lola that was intercepted by a Border Force vessel off the coast of Cornwall last September. Four men convicted of attempting to smuggle cocaine worth £100million on a fishing boat off the British coast have been handed a total of 90 years in prison. The British men were aboard a fishing vessel, named Lily Lola, which was intercepted by a Border Force vessel last September, with one of the conspirators found snoozing in a deck chair. Michael Kelly, 45, from Manchester, and Jake Marchant, 27, of no fixed address, had previously confessed to plotting to smuggle over a tonne of the Class A drug. Jon Williams, 45, and Patrick Godfrey, 31, both of Swansea, denied the same charge but were found guilty by a jury at Truro Crown Court back in March. The National Crime Agency (NCA), which led the investigation, reported that 1,076kg of high-grade cocaine was discovered on the fishing boat on September 13 last year. Shortly after 2pm that day, the Border Force cutter HMC Valiant - patrolling off Cornwall's north coast - dispatched an inflatable boat to intercept the Lily Lola. Williams, who had purchased the boat for approximately £140,000 two months prior, was at the helm. Marchant, with no fixed address, was beside him. Kelly was in the accommodation area whilst Godfrey was asleep in a deck chair. The Lily Lola was escorted to a secure port, where the seized substances, divided into bales, were removed and tested, confirming them to be high purity cocaine. An electronic device that had been on board the Lily Lola was downloaded and some messages were recovered - these demonstrated the boat receiving instructions and co-ordinates from a third party. Godfrey's phone revealed a message he had sent to someone instructing them to 'delete everything u see and not show anybody'. His device also showed an internet search for 'how long does it take a ship to leave Peru to UK'. A tracker discovered in the drug stash led NCA investigators to a user based in South America. Williams, Godfrey and Marchant made no comment during their interviews, while Kelly insisted he was on a fishing trip. However, when confronted with the evidence against them, Kelly and Marchant pleaded guilty at Truro Crown Court on October 15 lastr year. The four men were back in court on Thursday. Williams received a sentence of 26 years, Godfrey 25 years, Marchant 18 years and Kelly 21 years. NCA branch commander Derek Evans said: "The NCA works around the clock to fight the threat of Class A drugs which wreck people's lives and devastate our communities. "Working with Border Force and the Joint Maritime Security Centre, we prevented a huge haul of cocaine from hitting the streets of the UK and wider Europe and ensured organised criminals are deprived of the significant profits they would have gained had these drugs made it into the country."
Daily Mirror
09-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Four men faked simple 'fishing trip' but were soon busted for dark £100m secret
Michael Kelly, 45, from Wythenshawe, claimed he was on a fishing trip with three other men. But Investigators from the NCA discovered 1,078 blocks of cocaine on the boat off the coast of Cornwall Four men have been jailed after cops busted a fishing trip off a popular seaside coast - and found £100 million worth of drugs hidden on the boat. Michael Kelly, 45, and Jake Marchant, 27, pleaded guilty to importing Class A drugs during a hearing at Truro Crown Court in October. Jon Williams, 46, and Patrick Godfrey, 31, both of Swansea, were convicted of the same charge. Kelly claimed that they went on an innocent fishing trip in Cornwall last September. But when they were intercepted by a Border Force vessel off Newquay, officers found 1,078 blocks of cocaine. The gang has been sentenced to a total of 90 years in jail. The fishing boat, called the Lily Lola, carried a strong scent of alcohol but searches revealed blocks and bales of drugs stashed all over the vessel which had only been bought by Williams a few months earlier for £116,000, according to Prosecutor, Frederick Hookway. The court heard the men had sailed from Newquay to south of the Isles of Scilly where the drugs were dropped off for collection at night. Shortly after 2pm on that day, the Border Force cutter HMC Valiant was on patrol off the north coast of Cornwall and deployed a smaller boat to intercept the Lily Lola. Williams, the captain, was at the helm, with Marchant next to him. Kelly was in the accommodation area and Godfrey was asleep in a deck chair, the NCA said. Mr Hookway said the blocks of cocaine, weighing one kilo each, were seized with 80 per cent purity and a wholesale value of £35 million. The court heard there had been police surveillance for a couple of months before the boat was stopped. A device on board the boat was later downloaded and some messages were recovered, showing instructions and co-ordinates being sent from a third party. Godfrey's phone was seized and found to have sent a message reading "delete everything u see and not show anybody", as well as an internet search for "how long does it take a ship to leave Peru to UK?". Investigators from the NCA also discovered a tracker in the drugs haul, linked to a user in South America. The barrister for Williams said he was just a simple fisherman who pined to return to the sea. He said he became involved in the drug business after the loss of his father who had been "his strong rudder throughout his life" when he started using cocaine. He said he became indebted to a drug dealer to the tune of £30,000 which led to him being coerced and pressured into getting the Lily Lola drug boat. He said: "This is a man who is intellectually challenged. His evidence was farcical at times when he said he thought the haul off the Isles of Scilly was tuna. He doesn't have the clout to have a leading role in this operation." The barrister for Marchant said he is a man who's had a drugs addiction since the age of 13 and lacked maturity and just jumped at the opportunity to make quick money at a time when his life was in chaos. She said: "He acted in haste with no regards for the consequences and turned up from London to Cornwall on the day. He has had a chaotic lifestyle of drugs and homelessness. He's not a habitual criminal. He wanted to fund his drug habit, have a roof over his head and put food on the table. He is remorseful and sorry for his actions and it is something that he will regret for the rest of his life. He was desperate and desperate people do desperate things. He has now lost his daughter but he's determined to prove he can do good when he's released from prison." His Honour Judge James Adkin said no-one would ever get involved in the importation of £35m worth of cocaine if they didn't have anything to gain as the risks are far too great. He said this was a well organised cocaine gang involved in the smuggling of cocaine into Cornwall. He said: "This amount of drugs had the potential to cause immeasurable harm on the streets of Britain." He said Williams had led a significant role in the operation being the skipper of the boat and didn't accept his defence that he had been coerced. He received a 26-year sentence. Judge Adkin said Godfrey had also played a significant role in the operation and had been actively involved, and knowing the details of what was happening. Godfrey was sentenced to 25 years in jail. He said Kelly had been the man in charge on the day and was a third striker for importation and supply of class A drugs however as he pleaded guilty at the outset he received a 30 per cent credit and his sentence was reduced from 29 years to 21. Finally with regards to Marchant, Judge Adkin said that while his involvement was only over one day, he must have been known and trusted by the others to be asked to join them and therefore he must have known what it was about. He was jailed for 18 years. NCA branch commander Derek Evans said: "The NCA works around the clock to fight the threat of Class A drugs which wreck people's lives and devastate our communities. "Working with Border Force and the Joint Maritime Security Centre, we prevented a huge haul of cocaine from hitting the streets of the UK and wider Europe and ensured organised criminals are deprived of the significant profits they would have gained had these drugs made it into the country." Williams was sentenced to 26 years in prison, Godfrey to 25 years in prison while Kelly received a 21-year prison sentence and Marchant an 18-year sentence.
Daily Record
08-05-2025
- Daily Record
Men who tried to smuggle £35k cocaine haul on boat jailed for 90 years
Investigators say the drugs would likely have "blighted countless lives and communities". A group of men convicted of attempting to smuggle £35 million worth of cocaine by boat have been handed prison sentences totalling 90 years. Michael Kelly, 45, from Portway, Manchester, and Jake Marchant, 27, of no fixed address, admitted importing Class A drugs during an earlier hearing at Truro Crown Court last October. Kelly had previously claimed he was on a fishing trip. At the same court, Jon Williams, 46, and Patrick Godfrey, 31, both from Swansea, were convicted on Wednesday, March 12, following their trial. The National Crime Agency (NCA), which was responsible for investigating the case, said 1,076kg of cocaine was discovered on a fishing boat, called the Lily Lola, off the coast of Cornwall on September 13, 2024. Following the discovery, which was made up of 1kg blocks as well as large bales, the boat was seized and taken to Plymouth Royal Dockyard, where tests revealed the drugs were high-purity cocaine, Cornwall Live reports. The four men had been on board when a Border Force vessel intercepted it in the water near Newquay. Prosecutor Frederick Hookway said Williams was at the helm with Marchant alongside him. Kelly was in the accommodation area and Godfrey was asleep in a chair on deck. A strong smell of alcohol was reported on board, but searches uncovered the drugs hidden all over the boat. The cocaine had been purchased by Williams just a few months earlier from a man in Ramsgate, Kent, for the sum of £116,000. The court was told the boat had sailed from Newquay to south of the Isles of Scilly, where the drugs were dropped off to be collected that night. However, the Border Force cutter HMC Valiant was patrolling off the north coast of Cornwall just after 2pm and dispatched a smaller vessel to intercept the Lily Lola. The vast haul of drugs they found had a wholesale value of £35 million and 80 per cent purity. A device also found on board was later downloaded with some messages recovered, displaying instructions and co-ordinates sent from a third party. Godfrey's own phone was seized and found to have sent a message which read: "delete everything u see and not show anybody" and an online search for "how long does it take a ship to leave Peru to UK?". NCA investigators also found a tracker in the haul which was linked to a user in South America. Williams' barrister said the defendant was just a fisherman who longed to return to sea, and had become involved with drugs after the death of his father, who was "his strong rudder throughout his life". He started using cocaine and got himself into debt with a dealer to the tune of £30,000, which resulted in him becoming coerced and pressured into getting the Lily Lola drug boat. The barrister said: "This is a man who is intellectually challenged. His evidence was farcical at times when he said he thought the haul off the Isles of Scilly was tuna. He doesn't have the clout to have a leading role in this operation." The barrister representing Marchant said he had been addicted to drugs since he was 13, lacked maturity and was eager to make quick money during a chaotic period in his life. She said: "He acted in haste with no regards for the consequences and turned up from London to Cornwall on the day. He has had a chaotic lifestyle of drugs and homelessness. He's not a habitual criminal. He wanted to fund his drug habit, have a roof over his head and put food on the table. "He is remorseful and sorry for his actions and it is something that he will regret for the rest of his life. He was desperate and desperate people do desperate things. He has now lost his daughter but he's determined to prove he can do good when he's released from prison." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Judge James Adkin said nobody would ever involve themselves in an operation to import £35 million worth of cocaine if there was nothing in it for them, as the risks were far too significant. He surmised this was a well-organised gang, but added: "This amount of drugs had the potential to cause immeasurable harm on the streets of Britain." He said Williams had played a significant part, being the captain of the boat, and didn't accept his claims he had been coerced, ultimately sentencing him to 26 years behind bars. Godfrey, he said, was also actively involved, knowing the details of the operation. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The judge said Kelly was in charge that day, and had committed offences of importation and supply of Class A drugs, but his guilty plea from the outset led to a reduced sentence from 29 years to 21. Although Marchant's involvement was only over one day, he must have been trusted enough by the other three to join them, and known what was being planned. He was sentenced to 18 years. NCA branch commander Derek Evans said investigators had been working tirelessly to 'erode the criminal networks' which benefit from drug smuggling operations. 'The NCA and Border Force have prevented a huge haul of cocaine from hitting the streets of the UK and wider Europe, where it would have blighted countless lives and communities,' he said. 'We've disrupted a drug supply chain and ensured organised criminals are deprived of the significant profits they would have gained had these drugs made it into the country.'
Pembrokeshire Herald
08-05-2025
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Samuel Kurtz MS Attends Senedd Event Marking 80th Anniversary of VE Day
FOUR drug smugglers have been sentenced over a plot to smuggle more than a ton of cocaine on a fishing boat off the coast of Cornwall, after a National Crime Agency investigation. The crime group members were found with more than a ton of the Class A drug on board their boat, the Lily Lola, in September last year. Michael Kelly, 45, and Jake Marchant, 27, pleaded guilty before trial. Jon Williams, 46, of Windmill Terrace, St Thomas, Swansea, and Patrick Godfrey, 31, of Danygraig Road, Port Tennant, Swansea, were convicted after a trial in March of smuggling the £100m haul. Shortly after 2pm on 13 September, the Border Force cutter HMC Valiant was on patrol off the north coast of Cornwall and deployed a RHIB (rigid hulled inflatable boat) to intercept the Lily Lola. Williams, the captain and who had bought the boat for around £140,000 two months earlier, was at the helm. Marchant, of no fixed abode, was next to him. Kelly, of Portway, Manchester, was in the accommodation area and Godfrey was asleep in a deck chair. The Lily Lola was taken into a secure port and the seized substances, which were divided into bales, removed and tested showing them to be high purity cocaine. An electronic device that had been on board the Lily Lola was downloaded and some messages were recovered. These demonstrated the boat receiving instructions and co-ordinates from a third party. Also, Godfrey's phone showed he sent a message to someone saying 'delete everything u see and not show anybody'. His phone also made the internet search 'how long does it take a ship to leave peru to uk'. A tracker was found in the drugs haul which NCA investigators established was linked to a user in South America Williams, Godfrey and Marchant made no comment in interview and Kelly claimed he was on a fishing trip. But faced with the evidence against them, Kelly and Marchant pleaded guilty at Truro Crown Court on 15 October. Today the men returned to court. Williams was sentenced to 26 years; Godfrey to 25 years; Marchant to 18 years and Kelly 21 years. NCA branch commander Derek Evans said: 'The NCA works around the clock to fight the threat of Class A drugs which wreck people's lives and devastate our communities. 'Working with Border Force and the Joint Maritime Security Centre, we prevented a huge haul of cocaine from hitting the streets of the UK and wider Europe and ensured organised criminals are deprived of the significant profits they would have gained had these drugs made it into the country.'
