Liverpool crime gang misplaced £40m price of cocaine at sea in smuggling operation gone fallacious
Eleven people were involved in the conspiracy, which spiralled out of control when tracking devices attached to the haul – wrapped in waterproof packaging – failed to send a signal
Bales of cocaine seized by the NCA(Image: NCA)
A Liverpool crime kingpin and 10 other members of a criminal syndicate hatched a plan to seize £40m worth of cocaine from the sea after it was chucked in international waters. Sam Brown, 33, of Wykeham Street in Kirkdale, was one of 11 people implicated in the plot, which quickly descended into chaos when tracking devices affixed to the drugs – securely wrapped in waterproof packaging – failed to transmit a signal.
The scheme was set in motion on 17 August 2024, as David Paterson, 49, embarked from Haslar Marina in Portsmouth to retrieve the 500kg shipment in the early hours. It’s thought the narcotics were cast into the water approximately 40 nautical miles south of the Needles, west of the Isle of Wight, by an accomplice crew aboard a cargo vessel.
The drugs were encased in waterproof parcels, each equipped with a GPS tracker. The idea was for Paterson to locate where the drugs were discarded and haul them out with the assistance of two other men, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Members of the OCG: Daniel Jamieson (top left), Adil Nolan (bottom left), Roy Harmer (top middle left), David Paterson (top middle right), Neil Pinchbeck (middle left), Lewis Watts (middle right), Ricky Platt (bottom middle left), Thomas Stewart (bottom middle right), Sam Brown (bottom right)(Image: NCA)
They would then return to land in their rigid-hulled inflatable boat, the Amma Sigga, and the drugs would be transported to a secure location and distributed to other criminal networks nationwide.
However, the cargo ship sailed past Paterson, who was receiving directions via WhatsApp from OCG accomplice Lewis Watts, 37, who was on land. Watts messaged: “Big ship has passed you, flash lights.”
Growing increasingly frantic, he added: “Big ship has passed you, chase it and flash lights.”
The container ship continued its voyage, leaving Paterson to track down the drugs using the trackers. However, the tracking devices had malfunctioned and weren’t transmitting a signal.
Harry Kennedy, 38, who lived at Wykeham Street, Kirkdale, Liverpool(Image: NCA)
Several hours later, Paterson, who worked on a Scottish oil rig during the day, came back to shore with nothing to show for his efforts.
The next morning, August 18, the trackers resumed working and the OCG hastily assembled a fresh crew to find the valuable cargo.
On August 19, Adil Nolan, 40, departed Eastbourne Harbour aboard the Amma Sigga to collect the drugs. He was joined by a man who cannot be identified for legal reasons, and an unnamed third individual.
The trio retrieved 16 bales of cocaine with approximately 85% purity. They navigated the vessel to Medmerry Beach near Selsey in West Sussex, where law enforcement officers were lying in wait.
Sam Brown, 33, of Wykeham Street in Kirkdale, was one of 11 people involved in the conspiracy(Image: NCA)
Following a trial at Portsmouth Crown Court today, July 22, three men and one woman were found guilty in connection with the organised crime group. Seven other gang members had previously pleaded guilty to their involvement.
Daniel Jamieson, 41, of Heath Road in Ramsden Heath, Essex, was described as one of the OCG leaders alongside Sam Brown. He posed as a legitimate businessman and, using a false identity, purchased a maritime business to acquire a boat for drug recovery operations.
He was found guilty at trial of conspiring to smuggle cocaine.
Brown, of Wykeham Street, Kirkdale, admitted the same charge. He played a crucial role in recruiting others, and secured the assistance of his friend Harry Kennedy.
Kennedy, 38, who also resided on Wykeham Street, Kirkdale, became embroiled in the scheme on August 18, when Brown discovered the GPS trackers were functioning and requested his assistance in relocating the cocaine once it reached shore.
Text exchanges between the duo, retrieved during the probe, revealed the two men were also engaged in drug distribution beyond this particular investigation. Kennedy admitted guilt to conspiracy to smuggle cocaine.
Cocaine seized by the NCA(Image: NCA)
Lewis Watts, of Toronto Road, Tilbury, Essex, served as Jamieson’s deputy and was crucial to the conspiracy. He oversaw a prepaid credit card established to finance the operation.
He identified locations for the RHIB to dock, researched and bought equipment, helped with the vessel’s preparation and served as an intermediary for conspirators both face-to-face and digitally. He was found guilty at trial of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine.
Adil Nolan, of Maureen Walk, Fazakerley, Liverpool, was a close ally of Kennedy and captained the Amma Sigga when it collected the cocaine from the waters. He confessed to conspiring to smuggle cocaine.
David Paterson, of Viking Way, Peterhead near Aberdeen, was found guilty of conspiring to smuggle cocaine by the jury.
Charlotte Blenman, 34, of Shelley Road East in Boscombe, Bournemouth, was amongst five individuals identified as members of the landing crew on Medmerry Beach. Her role was to assist in removing the drugs from the beach.
She was acquitted of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine, but found guilty of assisting an organised crime group. The remaining 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 pleaded guilty to assisting an organised crime group.
Those found guilty of conspiring to smuggle cocaine will be sentenced on November 5. Those found guilty of assisting an organised crime group will be sentenced on November 6.
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.”
