Colombian jailed for £42m East Yorkshire cocaine smuggling plot

A man has been jailed for 13 years and six months for his “significant role” in one of the UK’s biggest ever drug seizures.

More than half a tonne (524kg) of cocaine with a street value of more than £42m was intercepted by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers after it was landed by boat in Easington on the East Yorkshire coast in May 2024.

Colombian national Didier Reyes, 40, of no fixed address, had pleaded guilty to importing cocaine at a previous hearing.

Two men from Scotland were jailed last year for their part in the plot.

Hull Crown Court heard that Reyes flew from Columbia to the UK via Spain under the pretence of looking for work in London.

He travelled to Hull and booked into a hotel under a false name.

The gang hired vans and an inflatable rib and set off from Hessle foreshore into the North Sea where they picked up waterproofed bales of cocaine dropped by a larger ship.

After landing near Easington, the gang was arrested by the NCA as they checked into a local pub for the night.

Passing sentence, Judge Mark Bury said he was satisfied Reyes “played a significant role in this enterprise”.

The judge added that text messages from Mexico found on Reyes’ phone showed “contact directly with somebody who was higher up the chain than you”.

“It is quite clear that you were tasked with ensuring the safety of the consignment and its onward transmission,” the judge said.

He added there was “no evidence of pressure or duress or threats” and Reyes was “fully aware from the start of what you were to be doing”.

Judge Bury praised the NCA saying the drugs seizure had caused a “dent in the supply of cocaine” in the UK.

In December, Mark Moran, 22, of of Glenfyne Terrace, Ardrishaig was sent to prison at Hull Crown Court for 15 years after being found guilty for his part in the plot.

Daniel Livingstone, 25, of Calton Avenue, Campbeltown, was jailed for seven years and nine months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Alan French said: “Reyes was an integral part of this smuggling attempt, acting as a go between with drug cartel bosses in Colombia.

“Without his input, the cocaine would never have got into Moran and Livingstone’s hands.”

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