Drug smugglers caught trying to bring in $48 million in cocaine by boat

By Faye Mayern via SWNS

This is the dramatic moment two drug smugglers were caught in a bungled seaside getaway attempt after being caught with $48 million worth of cocaine.

Bruce Knowles 55, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 31, were intercepted by Border Force near East Benacre Broads in Suffolk with 350 kilos of cocaine in the hull of their boat.

Shocking footage released by the National Crime Agency (NCA) shows Gumrukguoglu, from the Netherlands, leap from the vessel and swim towards the beach.

The pair had initially stopped when the Border Force cutter moved in but Knowles restarted the engines to the rigid hulled inflatable boat and attempted to flee.

The boat was grounded on the beach and officers moved in to arrest Knowles, after he also jumped overboard in a bid to escape during the incident on June 24.

Officers from Norfolk and Suffolk Police pursued Gumrukguoglu after he fled from the beach, arresting him later that day in Wrentham, Norfolk.

The boat was towed to a harbor in Lowestoft where it was searched by NCA officers, who found the haul of $50 million in drugs hidden under tarpaulin.

Investigators believe Knowles, from Dereham, and Gumrukguoglu, from the Netherlands, traveled towards French waters to pick up the drugs from a larger ship, before bringing them back to the UK.

Both men were interviewed and gave no comment, but were subsequently charged with importing a controlled drug.

They pleaded guilty to the offense at Ipswich Crown Court on Aug. 20.

NCA Branch Commander Lydia Bloomfield said: “Knowles and Gumrukguoglu knew they were going to lose a huge quantity of drugs when they were intercepted at sea by our Border Force colleagues.

“Both were working for a wider organized crime group, who will now feel the effects of a loss of this amount."

Border Force Deputy Director Sally Hawkyard said: “Our Border Force Officers played a pivotal role in detecting and seizing millions of pounds worth of cocaine, which ensured that these two men were brought to justice.

“We remain committed to stopping illegal drugs from entering the country, where they ruin lives and fuel organized criminal gangs.

“Border Force will continue to work tirelessly to keep the public safe and our borders secure.”

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