A Stornoway man has been arrested as part of a £96million cocaine bust in the Atlantic.
The man was one of three British nationals arrested as part of a wider drug trafficking operation taking place across the ocean.
Officers raided the Spanish-registered yacht and found 40 bales of cocaine which is believed to be worth a staggering £96million.
It is understood that more than 1.2 tonnes of the class A drug was on board.
A 29-year-old man from Stornoway skippered the vessel and was taken to Martinique in France to be charged.
Fiver others also arrested
The discovery also lead to the arrest of a further five people believed to be involved in the group and who organised this particular shipment.
Police from Marbella and Valencia both worked together in order to bring those involved to justice.
It included two other British nationals from Lincolnshire in England, a 62-year-old and his son, who reside in Spain.
The crime duo were arrested as they sat down for dinner in Marbella restaurant.
All five remain in custody as investigations continue.
National Crime Agency officers worked with colleagues in both France and Spain to target a group transporting the drugs to Europe.
Drugs were headed for UK says NCA
The NCA’s International Liaison Officer in Madrid, Paul Owen, said: “This multi-national operation has seen a huge consignment of cocaine prevented from reaching Europe, and huge profits denied to organised criminals.
“I have no doubt that some of these drugs were destined for the UK.
“Tackling these global networks requires international law enforcement co-operation, and I’m grateful to our partners in France, Spain, the Caribbean and MAOC-N for their assistance.
“Working together we are determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking groups, and prevent them from fuelling violence, intimidation and decay in UK communities.”
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