Daily Star
·Jul 2026
Liverpool crime gang lost £40m worth of cocaine at sea in smuggling operation gone wrong
A Liverpool-based organised crime group lost a £40m cocaine shipment after GPS trackers on waterproof drug parcels failed, triggering multiple failed retrieval attempts at sea in August 2024. Eleven conspirators were implicated, with several identified as key organisers, vessel operators, and landing crew members. Law enforcement intercepted part of the shipment on a West Sussex beach, leading to multiple convictions for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine or assisting an organised crime group. Sentencing is scheduled for early November, and the National Crime Agency described the seizure as a significant disruption to criminal activity.