“Fast-moving interception,” says NCA.
SUNDAY WORLD
Two men have been jailed in the UK after attempting to flee from a boat carrying 350kg of cocaine worth an estimated £39 million (€46.5 million) off the Suffolk coast.
Bruce Knowles, 56, from Dereham, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 32, from the Netherlands, were aboard a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) intercepted near East Benacre Broads in June 2024. As Border Force officers closed in, Gumrukguoglu jumped into the sea and swam toward the beach, while Knowles later followed after a short pursuit.
Gumrukguoglu was arrested later that day in Wrentham. A search of the boat revealed the drugs hidden under tarpaulin in the hull.
Investigators believe the pair collected the cocaine from a larger vessel in French waters. Both men pleaded guilty to drug importation and were sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court—Knowles to 17 years and three months, and Gumrukguoglu to 15 years.
“This was a fast-moving and dynamic interception,” said NCA operations manager Paul Orchard.