A Liverpool crime boss and ten other members of an organised crime gang plotted to snatch £40m worth of cocaine from the sea after it was hurled overboard in international waters.
Sam Brown, 33, of Wykeham Street in Kirkdale, was one of 11 people involved in the conspiracy, which rapidly spiralled out of control when tracking devices attached to the drugs - which were wrapped in waterproof packaging - failed to send a signal.
The Plot Unfolds
The plan was put into motion on August 17 2024, when David Paterson, 49, sailed out from Haslar Marina in Portsmouth to collect the 500kg consignment in the early hours of the morning. It is believed the drugs were dropped into the water about 40 nautical miles south of the Needles, to the west of the Isle of Wight, by an accomplice crew aboard a container ship.
The drugs were in waterproof bundles, each fitted with a GPS tracker. The plan was for Paterson to see where the drugs were dumped and fish them out with the help of two other men. They would then return to shore in their rigid-hulled inflatable boat, the Amma Sigga, and the drugs would be moved to safety and sold to other crime groups across the country.
But the container ship sailed past Paterson, who was taking directions via WhatsApp from OCG accomplice Lewis Watts, 37, who was ashore. Watts wrote: “Big ship has passed you, flash lights.” Increasingly desperate, he added: “Big ship has passed you, chase it and flash lights.”
Trackers Fail and Recovery Attempt
The container ship sailed on, leaving Paterson to locate the drugs from the trackers. However, the trackers had failed and were not sending a signal. Several hours later, Paterson, whose day job was on an oil rig in Scotland, returned to shore empty-handed.
The following morning, August 18, the trackers came back online and the OCG scrambled together a new crew to locate the expensive shipment. On August 19, Adil Nolan, 40, left Eastbourne Harbour in the Amma Sigga to retrieve the drugs. He was accompanied by a man who cannot be named for legal reasons, and an unnamed third man. The three recovered 16 bales of cocaine with a purity of about 85%. They sailed the boat to Medmerry Beach near Selsey in West Sussex, where law enforcement officers were waiting for them.
Convictions and Sentencing
Following a trial at Portsmouth Crown Court today, July 22, three men and one woman were convicted in relation to the organised crime group. Seven other gang members previously admitted their roles.
Daniel Jamieson, 41, of Heath Road in Ramsden Heath, Essex, was said to be one of the OCG bosses alongside Sam Brown. He masqueraded as a legitimate businessman and, using a false name, bought a maritime business so he could get hold of a boat to recover the drugs with. He was convicted at trial of conspiring to smuggle cocaine. Brown, of Wykeham Street, Kirkdale, admitted the same charge. He played a key role in recruiting others, and enlisted the help of his friend Harry Kennedy.
Kennedy, 38, also lived on Wykeham Street, Kirkdale. He became involved in the plot on August 18, when Brown realised the GPS trackers were working and asked him to help move the cocaine after it was brought to shore. Messages between the pair showed the two men were also involved in the supply of drugs separate from this investigation. Kennedy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggling cocaine.
Lewis Watts, of Toronto Road, Tilbury, Essex, was Jamieson’s right-hand man and instrumental to the conspiracy. He took charge of a prepaid credit card set up to fund the conspiracy, sourced locations for the RHIB to land, researched and purchased equipment, assisted in the boat’s set up and acted as a go between for conspirators. He was convicted at trial of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine.
Adil Nolan, of Maureen Walk, Fazakerley, Liverpool, was a close associate of Kennedy and skippered the Amma Sigga when it retrieved the cocaine. He admitted conspiring to smuggle cocaine. David Paterson, of Viking Way, Peterhead near Aberdeen, was convicted of conspiring to smuggle cocaine by the jury.
Charlotte Blenman, 34, of Shelley Road East in Boscombe, Bournemouth, was one of five people identified as part of the landing party on Medmerry Beach. Her job was to help take the drugs from the beach. She was cleared of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine, but convicted of assisting an organised crime group.
The other landing party criminals were: Roy Harmer, 46, of Chine Road, Bournemouth; Neil Pinchbeck, 43, of Pearce Road, Poole; Thomas Stewart, 40, of Carpenter Close, Peterborough; Ricky Platt, 49, of Westby Road, Boscombe, Dorset. All four men admitted assisting an organised crime group.
Those convicted of conspiring to smuggle cocaine will be sentenced on November 5. Those convicted of assisting an organised crime group will be sentenced on November 6.
NCA Statement
Jules Harriman, NCA senior investigating officer, said: “This was a large seizure of cocaine and represents a serious loss for the crime group. Their profits can no longer be ploughed back into further offending and we’ve prevented these toxic drugs from reaching UK streets where they poison people’s lives. Working with partners such as Border Force, the NCA will continue to do all it can to protect the public from the threat of Class A drugs.”
