Two men charged after hundreds of kilos of cocaine seized off the coast of Benacre Broads, near Lowestoft

Two men have been charged after hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, worth £37 million, were seized off the Suffolk coast.

Bruce Knowles, 55, of Dereham, Norfolk, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 31, of the Netherlands, were arrested on June 24 after an inflatable boat was stopped off the coast of east Benacre Broads, near Lowestoft.

The Border Force attempted to cut off the boat after it failed to stop, with one of the men spotted jumping overboard and attempting to swim to shore.

Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) found 350kg of cocaine on the boat hidden under tarpaulin.

Investigators believed the vessel had been steered out to sea to meet a larger ship to collect the drugs.

Knowles and Gumrukguoglu were arrested on the same day, with one being brought in with the help of Norfolk and Suffolk Police.

Knowles appeared before Norwich Magistrates’ Court yesterday and was remanded in custody for his next appearance on July 23.

Gumrukguoglu is set to appear before magistrates later today.

Paul Orchard, from the NCA, said this was a very significant seizure and would be a huge blow for the organised crime group smuggling it into the UK.

“With thanks to our partners in Border Force, we have been able to remove these dangerous drugs from the market before they reached the streets of the UK, where they would undoubtedly have fuelled further crime and exploitation,” he added.

“This seizure is a great example of joint working to disrupt criminal activity and protect the public from serious and organised crime.”

The investigation continues.