A Dutch man who was caught on board a yacht intercepted off the coast of Cornwall with £133million worth of cocaine has handed a lengthy prison sentence.

Crew member Maarten Peter Pieterse, aged 61, was arrested following the operation led by the National Crime Agency and pleaded guilty at a hearing last year.

Pieterse pleaded guilty at a hearing last year and was sentenced today (Wednesday) at Bristol Crown Court. 

On July 18, 2018, the Border Force cutter HMC Vigilant intercepted the Dutch-flagged SY Marcia approximately 120 miles south west of the Cornish coast.

It then escorted the 60ft yacht into Newlyn harbour near  Penzance  and the following day a search of the vessel began.

The huge amount of cocaine seized off Cornwall

NCA and Border Force officers discovered over 1,600 kilo blocks wrapped in plastic bagging in a compartment beneath the decking area at the rear of the boat. In total, 2.1 tonnes of high purity cocaine were recovered - the same weight as a Mitsubishi Shogun, with an estimated wholesale value of £50m.

If cut and sold on the street, the haul had an estimated value of £133m.

The yacht left Marina d'Angra, Terceira, in the Azores on July 9, 2018, and officers believe the haul was destined for Europe.

The operation involved the National Maritime Intelligence Centre (NMIC) in the UK and the joint Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N) in Lisbon, working in co-operation with law enforcement partners in Portugal, France, the Netherlands, as well as Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.

The Border Force cutter HMC Vigilant intercepted the Dutch-flagged SY Marcia last year

At one point the search was halted following the discovery of a suspicious package in the bales of cocaine, but resumed after the all clear was given by a Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team.

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Following a newton hearing held to determine Pieterse’s involvement in the conspiracy, Judge Michael Longman sentenced him to 16 years in prison.

Ty Surgeon, operations manager at the National Crime Agency, said: "This huge haul of cocaine is one of the largest seizures of class A ever in the UK, with a potential street value of more than £130 million.  

"Pieterse’s yacht had been specially adapted for the sole purpose of drug smuggling, and this seizure will have significantly disrupted the activities of organised crime groups.  

"I have no doubt these drugs were destined for Europe and the UK, to be sold by drugs gangs who are also involved in intimidation, exploitation and violence.  

"We know the criminal trade in drugs is driven by financial gain, and the loss of the profit that would have been made from this seizure will have a major impact on the crime groups involved.  

"The NCA continues to provide a key role in tackling criminal networks supplying class A drugs into the UK, and our work with partners at home and abroad to tackle the supply chain is vital to this."

Another crew member, Emile Adriaan Jeroen Schoemaker, aged 45, who was arrested alongside Pieterse at the time, was found not guilty by a jury in June this year.