A high-speed ocean chase off the coast of Cornwall ended with three men being arrested and six bales of cocaine worth £18m recovered. The incident, which unfolded on 13 September last year, began when the UK Border Force cutter HMC Valiant spotted a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) near a known 'mother ship'. The RHIB sped off, leading officers on a 28-mile pursuit before running aground on Gwynver beach near Land's End.
The three men on board – Peter Williams, 44, Scott Johnston, 38, and Edwin Yahir Tabora Baca, 33 – were arrested at the scene. They had thrown 11 bales of cocaine overboard during the chase, of which six were recovered by Border Force officials. The drugs had been dropped at sea by a transatlantic mother ship as part of a tactic known as at-sea drop-offs (Asdos), used by South American drug cartels and British organised crime groups.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) launched Operation Libellary to investigate the wider network. Senior investigating officer Barry Vinall said the arrests were 'a lucky break' that led to uncovering a complex operation. Williams, a Hampshire fisherman who ran a business called Fresh from the Boat, had suffered financial difficulties after his boat was wrecked in Storm Eunice in February 2022. He was recruited for his seafaring skills.
Tabora Baca, from Barcelona, initially claimed he was a tourist invited fishing, but his phone revealed messages from a boss instructing him to act as security during the drug pickup. The NCA also focused on three Essex men, including Bobbie Pearce, 29, who had hired a white van and were heading to Cornwall to collect the drugs. In total, seven men were convicted of conspiracy to import class A drugs.
Vinall described the operation as shedding unique light on the roles within such criminal enterprises, including organisers, logistics, security, and customers. The case highlights the ongoing battle against drug smuggling into the UK via quiet coves and harbours, with the public urged to report suspicious activity.
