Two men have today admitted trying to land £60m worth of cocaine at Fishguard harbour.

Scott Kilgour and Gary Swith, both from Liverpool, admitted trying to import 751 kilos of the drug - the largest ever cocaine haul in Britain.

Kilgour, aged 41, and Swift, 53, will be sentenced on December 20.

Western Telegraph:

Meanwhile they are being held in custody at Long Lartin high security jail.

Today (Friday) they admitted attempting to import the drugs between December 1, 2018, and August 27, 2019.

Swansea crown court heard how Border Force officers swooped on the Atrevido, half a mile out to sea.

They found 751 kilos of cocaine at a purity rate of up to 83%.

Kilgour had paid 50,000 euros for the yacht but Swift was said to be the experienced sailor who had sailed the Atrevido from the South American country of Suriname.

Swift told Border Force officers: "I have got something substantial on the boat and they will find it.”

He later admitted “I’m the bad one here,” and asked custody officers to pass a message to the NCA revealing the number of packages on board the yacht.

Kilgour claimed he was not aware of the drugs until they were at sea.

Four others have been arrested in connection to the discovery and a police investigation continues. 

Craig Naylor, NCA Deputy Director of Investigations, said: “Seizing this large quantity of cocaine will have had a huge impact on the organised crime group – damaging their reputation amongst other criminals, and ultimately stripping them of their assets.

“We believe Swift spearheaded this attempt to flood the streets of Britain with potentially deadly drugs - the NCA is relentless in pursuing and disrupting offenders who operate at the highest end of criminality.

“This seizure will have also had a significant impact on the availability of cocaine in drug markets across the UK, including County Lines networks.

“Drugs fuel violence and exploitation, damaging communities and leaving destruction in their wake. Thanks to the work of the NCA, Border Force officers, and the Spanish National Police, these drugs have not made their way to their intended destination.

“NCA officers on the front line play a vital role in tackling the criminals who pay no heed to the damage they cause, and we’ll continue to work with our partners to make sure that crime doesn’t pay.”

Deputy Director Steve Whitton, from Border Force’s Maritime Command, said: “The superb efforts of the crew of HMC Protector, and officers from our specialist deep rummage team, helped prevent Yacht Atrivedo’s dangerous cargo of Class A drugs from reaching our streets. It has put a serious dent in the profits of the criminals involved in this type of smuggling.

“Border Force will continue to work with our law enforcement partners at the NCA to bring offenders like Gary Swift and Scott Kilgour to justice and to disrupt the workings of organised criminal groups in the UK.”