Cannabis bust on the 'High' sea
Four men were jailed 15/10/11 for trying to smuggle cannabis worth an estimated £9.8 million into Britain
Four men were jailed 15/10/11 for trying to smuggle cannabis worth an estimated £9.8 million into Britain
Three and a half tonnes of the drug were found hidden by investigators after they tracked the Dutch-registered vessel, MV Majestic, for 12 hours at sea.
It is believed to have set off from north Africa and came under the suspicion of the UK Border Agency (UKBA) when it was spotted off Falmouth, Cornwall.
The 56ft yacht was tailed by a UKBA patrol vessel for 100 nautical miles up the English Channel before being intercepted off the Isle of Wight and escorted into Newhaven Harbour, East Sussex, on July 24.
During a search of the £40,000 vessel, packages of cannabis were found stashed in two holding tanks accessed through deck hatches.
The haul represents the second largest cannabis seizure in the South East so far this year, said the UKBA.
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