Seaside towns where £5m cocaine hauls wash up beaches patrolled by armed police
Residents of once-peaceful seaside towns are growing tired after cocaine hauls worth millions started washing up on the beach - sparking the constant surveillance of armed police.
Locals on the Sussex and Hampshire coasts are fed up after having to dodge the officers patrolling the seafront as they walk by the side of the water. Consignments of the Class A drug were found in Ferring and also in Worthing this week.
The huge stash of drugs is believed to have been dumped in the Solent last weekend, leaving people in the retirement towns fearing their homes have become a hotbed for smuggling. They washed up the shores in waterproof bricks and are believed to have a street value of over £5million.
Millions of pounds worth of drugs - believed to be cocaine - have been found off the south coast (Dorset & Hampshire Police / SWNS)
Holdalls containing hundreds of kilos of powder were discovered in the sea off the St Aldhelm’s Point and Durdle Door (Dorset & Hampshire Police / SWNS)The packages which were found had 'POPI' written on them, police have said, as they urged the public not to touch or attempt to remove any suspicious finds on the beach. The National Crime Agency is continuing to investigate and suggests the drugs may have originated in South America.
It comes after claims that cocaine-smuggling cartels have infiltrated international shipping companies, such as Mediterranean Shipping Co, as they attempt to get their good into Europe. Another suggestion is that criminals throw their stash overboard if they fear arrest.
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A constant police presence has left those living in the towns concerned. Former engineer Steve Pritchard, 71, told The Sun Online after another discovery: "It's probably come off a freighter in the Channel. Lots more people have been on the beach walking their dogs since the first reports of packages. But you get all sorts of stuff washing up along here. Somebody must be pushing it overboard. "Somebody is in trouble."
Brian Parker, 86, told the publication: "I'm Brighton born and bred but we come here because we like the countryside. It has turned into a nasty world and where there is money, there are people after it."
Police were called to Goring, Sussex, on Monday morning, responding to reports that drugs had been found washed up at the beach. Earlier this month, similar discoveries were made in Selsey, Middleton and Felpham and also Ferring. All the packages were sent for forensic testing.
A major police probe was launched after holdalls containing hundreds of kilos of powder were discovered in the sea off the St Aldhelm’s Point and Durdle Door.
Drugs detectives seized £100,000 worth of cocaine after a litter picker found it washed up on a beach in Bude, Cornwall, in August. Cleaner Jodie Harper scoured the beauty spot looking for rubbish and initially thinking the package was polluted, she had a huge surprise to discover its contents.
She said: "We cover a lot of these beaches on dog walks, we're always out and about. We're always picking up litter as we go. After the storms, we knew that there was going to be quite a lot of stuff washed up. Normally the most exciting thing you'll find is fishing waste or maybe some packaging with a foreign language that has come from a long way away. But this time we stumbled across a package that immediately looked a bit suspicious."
Sussex Police told the Mirror: "Police were called to Goring on Monday morning (23 October) following reports of suspected drugs washing up on the beach. The packages will be taken for forensic testing along with the substances which were found in Selsey on 19 October, Middleton and Felpham on 13 October and Ferring on 12 October.
"An investigation is ongoing alongside partner agencies to find the source of the substances. The public are reminded of the dangers of illegal drugs and urged not to touch or attempt to remove them. Please report any sightings to police by calling 999." The National Crime Agency have also been approached for comment.
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