Watch: £18m cocaine smugglers in 28-mile police chase off Cornwall coast
- Posted on August 2, 2025
- By The Independent
- 2 Views

Watch: £18m cocaine smugglers in 28-mile police chase off Cornwall coast

Watch as cocaine smugglers are chased by police off the Cornwall coast following a 28 mile pursuit at sea. Footage shared by the National Crime Agency (NCA) on Friday (1 August) shows Scott Johnston, 38, of Havant and Edwin Yahir Tabora Baca, 33, of Barcelona, disembarking their drug-laden vessel and running across a beach in Newquay. During the chase at sea, the men dumped bales of drugs into the water, which police later recovered and discovered contained around 230kg of cocaine, worth £18.4million. Following a trial at Truro Crown Court, Johnston and Barca were jailed for 24 years and 17 years 7 months respectively. Michael May, 47, of Brentwood and Terry Willis, 44, of Chelmsford, who also helped organise the smuggling, have been sentenced to 19 years and 21 years 8 months respectively.