THIS is the shocking moment a group of drug-smuggling pals dove into the water during a boat chase as they tried to flee from border police.
Bruce Knowles, 56, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 32, were intercepted off the coast of Suffolk by cops while carrying 350kg of cocaine – worth £39m – in the hull of their boat.
NCAThe two men were approached by Border Force officers off the coast of Suffolk in June last year[/caption]
NCAAfter failing to stop for police, the drug-smuggling pals attempted to flee, with one jumping into the water[/caption]
NCAThe second drug-smuggler also abandoned ship after being confronted by Border Force officers[/caption]
NCAKnowles (left) and Gumrukguoglu (right) have been sentenced to a combined 32 years and three months in prison[/caption]
Incredible footage shows the moment officers approached the vessel as it raced “suspiciously” along the coastline in June 2024.
Pulling up alongside, border police begin shouting at the two smugglers to stop moving.
After Gumrukguoglu and Knowles pull up alongside the officers, the force can be heard asking questions to the drug smugglers.
As their boats begin to drift apart, one officer can be heard saying they are going to board the smugglers’ ship.
Just as they begin to attempt to do so, Gumrukguoglu and Knowles race away at speed, in an attempt to escape the officers.
As the cops chase them down, Gumrukguoglu launches himself off the boat in a desperate attempt to flee.
Shouts of “man in the water” can be heard as Border Force officers continued their hot pursuit of Knowles.
After eventually stopping him alongside their boat, they ask the criminal to “stand down”, as he had “been warned”.
However, in a last-ditch attempt, Knowles also dived into the water, and attempted to flee towards the nearby coast.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed on Friday that both Knowles and Gumrukguoglu have now been sentenced in regards to the crimes.
Both men had been charged with importing a controlled drug and pleaded guilty to this at Ipswich Crown Court in August last year.
On Friday, Knowles was sentenced to 17 years and three months in prison, while Gumrukguoglu was given 15 years in prison.
Paul Orchard, NCA operations manager, said: “This was a fast-moving and dynamic interception of two men attempting to smuggle in a huge quantity of Class A drugs.
“Knowles and Gumrukguoglu continued to try and evade arrest to avoid a significant loss for their crime group. They now face long prison sentences.
“With thanks to our partners in Border Force and the Joint Maritime Security Centre, a significant amount of class A drugs have been removed from the criminal marketplace where further criminality and exploitation would have followed.
“The NCA is committed to protecting the public from serious and organised crime and stopping criminals from fuelling the UK drugs trade.”
Charlie Eastaugh, Border Force Maritime Director added: “Border Force officers are committed to disrupting organised crime and keeping Britain safe by preventing deadly drugs from reaching our streets.
“During this pursuit, maritime officers bravely intercepted these criminals and seized 350kg of cocaine, ensuring those who threatened our border security are now facing the full force of the law.”
HOW THE SMUGGLING UNFOLDED
In a statement, the NCA confirmed the pair’s crimes and sentencing.
The agency said: “Two men who jumped from a boat and attempted to swim to shore after 350 kilos of cocaine was discovered in the hull have been sentenced.
“Bruce Knowles, 56, from Dereham, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 32, from the Netherlands, were intercepted on a rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) near East Benacre Broads in Suffolk in June 2024.
“The men had been spotted on the vessel and failed to stop for a Border Force cutter. Gumrukguoglu jumped from the boat and swam towards the beach as Knowles restarted the engines and attempted to flee.
“After a pursuit, the boat was grounded on the beach – but as officers moved in to arrest Knowles, he also jumped overboard to try to escape.”
The NCA explained that officers from Norfolk and Suffolk Police chased down Gumrukguoglu after he fled from the beach, later managing to arrest him on the same day in nearby Wrentham, Norfolk.
After the smugglers’ boat was towed to a harbour in Lowestoft, NCA officers discovered the enormous haul of cocaine – worth an estimated £39 million – hidden under the tarpaulin in the hull of the boat.
Investigators believe Knowles and Gumrukguoglu travelled towards French waters to pick up the drugs from a larger ship, before bringing them back to the UK.
Four Brits arrested at sea trying to smuggle £100 million worth of cocaine into UK jailed for combined 90 years
FOUR Brits nicked at sea trying to smuggle £100million of cocaine into the UK have been jailed for a total of 90 years.
The quartet set out on fishing boat the Lily Lola to pick up drugs in the Channel off the Isles of Scilly.
An Apple AirTag on each bag dropped at sea indicated its location.
A Border Force vessel intercepted the gang off north Cornwall and found on board 1,078 1kg blocks of cocaine from South America.
As officers approached, a covert audio device hidden on the gang’s boat recorded one of them saying, “We’re f****d”.
Michael Kelly, 45, of Manchester, and Jake Marchant, 27, of no fixed abode, admitted conspiring to smuggle cocaine.
They got 21 and 18 years respectively.
Jon Williams, 45, and Patrick Godfrey, 31, both of Swansea, were convicted of the charge at Truro crown court.
They got 26 and 25 years.
The court heard Godfrey was asleep on deck in a chair when the fishing boat was raided in September.
The gang also left 19 drug bags at sea.
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