Second man charged over £10million cocaine haul at Newhaven Ferry Port

The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed 43-year-old Jean-Pierre Labelle from the Isle of Wight appeared before Newport Magistrates’ Court on Monday (June 29), charged with importing class A drugs.

He was remanded in custody until his next appearance at Lewes Crown Court on July 27, it said.

His arrest and charge follows the discovery of the class A drugs in the early hours of November 23, last year.

Border Force officers recovered 97 packages each containing approximately a kilo of cocaine. They were concealed in a load of frozen fish in the rear of a refrigerated van searched by Border Force as it came off a ferry.

The drugs had an estimated potential value of around £10million, the NCA said.

The driver, 50-year-old James Satterley from Cookham in Maidenhead, was later charged with importing class A drugs. He now awaits trial.

Peter Stevens, NCA branch commander, commented: “Working with partners like Border Force we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks involved in attempts to circumvent border controls.

“Illegal drugs are linked to violence on our streets and the exploitation of the vulnerable, that is why this type of crime is a priority for us.”

Tim Kingsberry, Border Force regional director, added: “This was an excellent seizure by Border Force officers, who have prevented a large amount of lethal Class A drugs from reaching the UK’s streets.

“Alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to do all we can to disrupt the international trade in drug smuggling.”

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.