Video: Men jailed after £18.4m Cornwall cocaine chase
The high-speed chase ended on a Cornish beach. Image courtesy of the National Crime Agency
Two more members of a crime group that was involved in a 28-mile at-sea chase off the coast of Cornwall have been jailed for their roles in a plot to smuggle cocaine into the UK.
Peter Williams, 43, and Bobbie Pearce, 29, were jailed on Thursday (21 Aug 2025) for 16 years and nine months, and 15 years and four months, respectively. Both admitted conspiracy to import class A drugs.
Four of their accomplices were jailed for more than a total of 82 years earlier this month at Truro Crown Court, for their roles in the £18.4m cocaine smuggling operation.
The pursuit took place on 13 September 2024 after Border Force officers spotted a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) off the coast of Newquay, which they suspected had collected drugs from a larger ship at sea. The RHIB attempted to flee, throwing packages overboard during an hour-long chase before running aground on Gwynver Beach near Penzance. Williams, who had been skipper, and two others fled on foot but were caught shortly after.
Pearce, who was linked to the operation by his phone data, had travelled from Essex to Cornwall as part of the smuggling plan and left the area when the boat ran aground.
Six large bales were recovered from the sea, containing around 230kg of high-purity cocaine worth £18.4m.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) took over the investigation, examining CCTV, call records and phone messages. This evidence connected further individuals to the smuggling attempt. Another member of the group, Alex Fowlie, 35, of Chichester, who purchased the boat, is due to be sentenced in September.
During sentencing, Judge James Adkin described the operation as an international conspiracy between organised crime groups in the South West and South East, aimed at bringing cocaine into the UK. He said their goal had been “to flood the streets of Essex and London with cocaine with grave societal harm”.
Williams’ lawyer, Harry Laidlaw, told the court: “He knew full well what he was getting himself into. He just captained the boat. He was a foot soldier acting under instruction. He did not have an operational or management role in the chain. His role was simple, albeit skilled.”
Pearce’s lawyer, Ishan Dave, said his client had no previous convictions and had never been involved in the drugs world before.
Barry Vinall, NCA senior investigating officer, said: “These are substantial sentences for six men who didn’t care about the misery cocaine causes, they just wanted to make a profit. Cocaine is one of the most harmful illegal drugs in the UK, linked to thousands of deaths and fuelling violent crime that wrecks communities and lives.
“Working together, Border Force stopped cocaine worth millions from making it onto UK streets and the National Crime Agency ensured that the group behind its importation faced justice.”
Duncan Capps, senior director of Border Force Maritime, said: “It is the job of Border Force to protect our border and keep communities safe. Our officers were fantastic and displayed incredible skill during the 28-mile pursuit, despite the suspects’ attempts to get rid of evidence.
“Border Force will continue to work alongside the NCA to prevent dangerous drugs reaching our streets and will ensure criminals caught smuggling face the full force of the law.”
