Three British men caught in mid-Atlantic with £ 80million of cocaine on yacht
Three British men were arrested in the mid-Atlantic by Spanish police and customs officers after a ton of cocaine worth over £ 80million was found on a yacht sailing from the Caribbean to the ‘Europe.
Spanish officers say the detentions imply they have now broken down a global drug smuggling network believed to be headed by a former Royal Navy officer.
Robert Mark Benson, 64, was one of 10 people arrested last month in raids in the provinces of Malaga and Cadiz and in the North African enclave of Ceuta in Spain after the double seizure of boats carrying 1, 5 ton of cannabis.
Spanish police had previously described Benson as someone with “strong hyperlinks to different legal organizations in countries like the UK and Ukraine”, although like their UK counterparts they did not officially name him. .
Three British men had been arrested in the mid-Atlantic by Spanish police after a ton of cocaine was found on a yacht sailing from the Caribbean to Europe
The cocaine had an estimated road value of over £ 80million and police believe the drug was intended for the streets of the UK.
The UK’s National Crime Agency, also concerned with the investigation which resulted in the new detentions, said: “The arrests are linked to an ongoing investigation into global drug trafficking which has so far resulted in the arrest of a number of people in Spain, and the seizure of 1.6 tonnes of cannabis, over £ 38,000, and of 4 cruise ships.
“The British leader of the Organized Crime Group – a former Royal Navy officer residing in southern Spain – was among those previously arrested.
“Known to law enforcement firms for his hyperlinks to organized crime teams in the UK and Ukraine, officers consider him to have qualified the crew and led a number of companies engaged in l ‘purchase, promotion and rental of cruise ships which had subsequently been used to transport medicines.’
A spokesperson for the Spanish National Police spoke of the latest operation, which was reportedly carried out on June 13 but only came to light this week, said: “National police officers in a joint operation with officers from the tax agency boarded a yacht known as SY Windwhisper with virtually a ton of Caribbean cocaine and arrested the three crew members.
“At the same time, 4 people were arrested in the provinces of Malaga and Cadiz.
“They were linked to the same legal drug trafficking organization that investigators say has now been broken up.”
The spokesperson added: “The investigation focused from the start on a nationwide Briton who is already under arrest, a former Royal Navy officer with intensive nautical information.
“This man ran a number of businesses involved in the purchase and promotion of boats that he allegedly used to collect the means of transporting contraband drugs.
“It would also have facilitated the creation of access businesses to launder medicine money.”
Two of the 4 people arrested after the Atlantic Ocean bust are believed to be British. None of the British detained in the last operation has been named.
Dave Hucker, Head of European Operations at NCA International, said: “This is a large transport of cocaine with an estimated road value of over £ 80million. I have little doubt that the drugs on board were destined for the streets of the UK, so this seizure is a big result.
“We know that the legal drug trade is driven by monetary acquisition, and the loss of revenue that might have been earned from these drugs can have a significant impact on the criminal teams involved.
Last month, Spanish police raided the provinces of Malaga and Cadiz and the North African enclave of Ceuta in Spain.
Officials say the detentions imply they have now broken down a global drug smuggling ring allegedly led by former Royal Navy officer Robert Mark Benson, 64.
Spanish police and customs officers complete raids across the country
“We are working with our global law enforcement partners to establish the latter responsible for the supply of Class A medicines in the UK, and can do whatever we can to disrupt their supply chains.”
Benson served in the Royal Navy as a government duty officer from 1978 to 1985, according to a web-based profile.
He started a whole new career in real estate in Gibraltar before moving to southern Spain.
In 2015, he organized Yacht Matters, a company that buys and sells yachts, and the real estate agency Real Estate Matters, which are each primarily based in Marbella.
In his most recent social media post, Benson said he has “28 years of experience as a real estate advisor in Sotogrande” and has provided consumers with “my little piece of heaven”.
“My actions range from simple serving consumers to selecting the property of their dreams, to project management, design and development of buyers’ non-public luxury villas,” he wrote.
The Spanish press which took hold of the story called him an “English dandy”.
He is currently in pre-trial detention pending an ongoing judicial investigation which is expected to last at least several months.
In Spain, suspects are usually only formally charged shortly before trial.