Three British men were caught on a yacht in the Mid-Atlantic with 80 million tonnes of cocaine

Three British men were arrested by Spanish police and customs agents on the Mid-Atlantic coast after the discovery of cocaine worth more than £ 80 million on a yacht from the Caribbean to Europe.

Spanish officials say detention meant destroying an international drug smuggling ring allegedly led by a former Royal Navy officer.

Robert Mark Benson, 64, was arrested during a raid last month after two 1.5-ton hashish-carrying boats were confiscated in the outposts of Ceuta in Malaga and Cadiz provinces and North Africa in Spain. It was one of ten people.

Spanish police previously described Benson as having “strong ties to other criminal gangs in countries such as Britain and Ukraine,” but like British police, he has officially nominated him. not.

Three British men were arrested on the Central Atlantic coast by Spanish police after a large amount of cocaine was found on a yacht from the Caribbean to Europe.

The estimated value of cocaine is over £ 80m, and police believe the drug is destined for the streets of Britain.

The National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom, which was also involved in the investigation that led to the new detention, said: 1.6 tonnes of hashish, over 38,000 pounds, seized four sailing vessels.

“The British head of an organized crime group-a former Royal Navy officer living in southern Spain-was among those previously arrested.

A police officer known to law enforcement in connection with organized crime groups in the UK and Ukraine is how many he engages in buying, selling and renting sailboats used to train his crew and then carry out drug transport I believe I ran that company. ”

A spokesman for the Spanish National Police, who appears to have taken place on June 13, said of the latest operation revealed this week: Arrested a ton of cocaine and three crew members from the Caribbean.

“At the same time, four people were arrested in Malaga and Cadiz.

“They were linked to the same criminal drug trafficking organization that investigators believe are currently being dismantled.”

The spokesman added: “From the beginning, the investigation focused on British citizens who had already been arrested and former Royal Navy officers with extensive nautical knowledge.

“This man ran several companies involved in the buying and selling of boats allegedly used to obtain smuggled drug transport.

“He also allegedly helped set up a front company for drug money laundering.”

Two of the four arrested after the Atlantic bust are believed to be British. No British have been nominated for the latest operation.

Dave Hacker, Head of European Operations at NCA International, said: ‘This is a huge haul of cocaine with an estimated value of over £ 80 million. This attack is an important consequence, as the drugs on board were undoubtedly destined for the streets of England.

“We know that criminal trade in drugs is caused by monetary gains, and the loss of profits that would have come from these drugs has a significant impact on the criminal groups involved.

Spanish police and customs agents are raiding nationwide

“We will continue to work with international law enforcement partners to identify the person responsible for supplying Class A medicines to the UK and do everything possible to disrupt the supply chain.”

According to his online profile, Benson was an administrator of the Royal Navy from 1978 to 1985.

He started a new career in Gibraltar real estate before settling in southern Spain.

In 2015, we founded Yacht Matters, a yacht trading business, and Real Estate Matters, a Marbella-based real estate company.

In his latest entry on social media, Benson said he had “28 years of experience as a real estate advisor in Sotogrande” and offered to introduce buyers to “my little paradise.”

“My work ranged from simply helping buyers choose their dream property to a project to manage the design and construction of their clients’ luxury private villas,” he writes.

The Spanish press, who took up the story, named him “English dandy.”

He is currently in remand prison until an ongoing criminal investigation, which is expected to last for at least several months.

In Spain, suspects are usually only formally charged shortly before the trial.