Crime

‘Shark fishing’ ruse exposed as £100m cocaine haul uncovered

Published

8 months ago

March 13, 2025

A FISHING boat supposedly heading out for a shark-fishing trip was, in reality, smuggling more than a ton of high-purity cocaine worth £100 million into the UK. The Lily Lola, intercepted by Border Force officers off the coast of Cornwall, had been used to retrieve drug parcels from the sea in a sophisticated smuggling operation.

Two men from west Wales, Jon Williams and Patrick Godfrey, were arrested after the vessel was boarded last September. Williams, who had purchased the boat just two months earlier for £140,000, was at the helm, while Godfrey was found sleeping on deck. The boat had sailed from Newquay to a designated drop-off point near the Isles of Scilly, where packages were floating in the water, believed to have been left by a South American cartel.

***Some of the cocaine recovered by the National Crime Agency (Image NCA)***

Law enforcement agencies had been tracking the Lily Lola for some time. Covert surveillance included listening devices and GPS trackers, allowing officers to monitor the crew’s movements and conversations. When the boat was seized and taken to Plymouth Royal Dockyard, officers discovered 49 bales of cocaine, though messages retrieved from the vessel’s Garmin device suggested they had failed to collect 19 additional parcels.

**The Lily Lola was a drugs collection vessel (Image NCA)**

Investigators also found damning evidence on Godfrey’s phone, including a message instructing someone to “delete everything u see and not show anybody” and an internet search for “how long does it take a ship to leave Peru to UK.”

Both Williams, aged 46, of Windmill Terrace, Swansea, and Godfrey, 31, of Danygraig Road, Swansea, denied conspiring to smuggle cocaine but were convicted at Truro Crown Court following a trial. Two other men onboard, Michael John Paul Kelly, 45, from Manchester, and Jake Marchant, 27, of no fixed address, had already pleaded guilty to the offence. All four are due to be sentenced on May 8.

**Some of the bails of cocaine (Image NCA)**

Following the convictions, NCA branch commander Derek Evans said: “This seizure has prevented a massive quantity of cocaine from flooding the streets of the UK and Europe. Organised criminals would have made vast profits from this smuggling operation, but thanks to the work of the NCA and Border Force, we have dismantled a key supply chain.”

The case highlights the lengths criminal gangs will go to in order to smuggle drugs into the country, with law enforcement agencies remaining vigilant against increasingly sophisticated trafficking methods.

Crime

Family pay tribute to 21-year-old woman found dead at Cardigan boat yard

Published

11 hours ago

November 16, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FAMILY of a young woman found dead at Netpool Boat Yard in Cardigan have paid tribute to her and urged anyone with information to come forward.

Corinna Baker, aged 21, was discovered at the boat yard shortly after midday on Saturday (Nov 15). A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody.

In a statement released through Dyfed-Powys Police, her family said: “We as a family are distraught at the loss of our beloved Corinna. She was much loved and she will be greatly missed by her whole family and all those who were blessed to have known her.
We appeal to anyone who has any information, however small, to please come forward. We ask that everybody respects our privacy at this time and allows us to grieve in peace.”

Detective Superintendent Wayne Bevan, who is leading the investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with Corinna’s family at this understandably tragic time. We have specially trained officers supporting the family and ask that their privacy is respected.
I urge anyone with any information to please come forward and support our ongoing investigation.”

Officers are particularly keen to speak to anyone who was at Netpool Boat Yard between 9:00pm on Thursday (Nov 13) and the time Corinna was found.

A police cordon remains in place at the site, and an increased presence is expected in the area while enquiries continue.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police by calling 101 and quoting reference 144 of November 15.

Crime

Man arrested on suspicion of murder after woman’s body found in Cardigan boatyard

Published

19 hours ago

November 16, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Victim’s family informed as officers appeal for witnesses who were near the scene from Thursday night

POLICE have launched a murder investigation following the discovery of a woman’s body at a boatyard in Cardigan.

Dyfed-Powys Police said officers were called to Netpool Boatyard at around 12:35pm on Saturday (Nov 15) after the body of a woman was found.

A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody.

The woman’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

There has been an increased police presence in the town since Saturday afternoon, with officers cordoning off the Netpool slipway and nearby access roads. Late on Saturday night, a boat covered in black plastic sheeting was removed from the scene as part of the ongoing forensic investigation.

Detectives are appealing for information from anyone who may have been at, or seen activity around, the boatyard from 9:00pm on Thursday, November 13 onwards.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police via the website https://orlo.uk/olxMg, email [email protected], or call 101, quoting reference 144 of November 15. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Crime

Boat removed from Cardigan scene as police probe young woman’s death

Published

22 hours ago

November 16, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A BOAT covered in black plastic sheeting has been removed from the Netpool area of Cardigan as part of a major police investigation into the death of a young woman.

The vessel was taken away at around 11:30pm on Saturday (Nov 15) under police escort and is understood to form a key part of the ongoing forensic inquiry. Officers had cordoned off the slipway near the River Teifi throughout the day, with multiple police vehicles and scenes-of-crime teams attending.

Emergency services were first called to the location around lunchtime on Saturday (Nov 15) following a 999 call, and a large police response was reported soon afterwards.

A man was taken to hospital with serious injuries. His condition has not been confirmed, and Dyfed-Powys Police have not yet said whether any arrests have been made.

The woman, believed to be in her early twenties, has not yet been formally identified.