Oil Rig Worker Receives 14 Years Jail Sentence For Part In £40 Million Cocaine Smuggling Scheme

Image for representation purposes only David Paterson, an oil rig worker from Peterhead was given a 14 year jail sentence by Portsmouth Crown Court for his part in a £40 million cocaine smuggling case, along with 11 others for trying to get 16 bales of class A drugs to the shore. The National Crime Agency uncovered the network which involved several members involved in smuggling at least 500 kilograms of cocaine. In August, 2024, Agents waited at the Medmerry Beach, West Sussex as the criminals threw bales into the sea from a container ship. To prevent water ingress, the drugs were packaged in waterproof wrapping and had a GPS tracker. They were thrown into the sea, 40 nautical miles south of the Needles, to the west of the Isle of Wight. The 49-year old Paterson had to recover the drugs from the sea and bring them to shore but he was not successful. On August 17, 2024, he sailed from…