Group planned to smuggle cocaine in transatlantic vacht

An organised crime gang that planned to smuggle 600 kilos of cocaine aboard a yacht taking part in a transatlantic sailing race were jailed for a total of more than 100 years at Chelmsford Crown Court on 10 September.

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The gang, which also imported more than half a tonne of cannabis, was stopped by the Organised Crime Partnership a joint National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Service unit-after intercepting the encrypted messaging service EncroChat under Operation Venetic.

Lee McClenaghan, 57, from Chelmsford, and 55-year-old Lea Talbot from Chadwell St Mary, had used EncroChat to discuss their drug operations under the handles 'catwithninelives' and 'legitimateyak' respectively.

McClenaghan hatched the plot to sail a yacht in the transatlantic crossing, an annual event sailing from St Lucia to Lagos, Portugal, and sent Talbot to meet with Venezuelan drug cartel bosses prior to the race in 2020.