National Crime Agency charge Isle of Wight man after £10m cocaine haul is found in frozen fish van

Jean-PIerre Labelle, of Ashey Road, Ryde, on the Isle of Wight, has been charged with importing class A drugs by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

It comes after UK Border Force officers seized a huge haul of narcotics at Newhaven port in East Sussex in November, 2019.

Labelle, 47, was initially arrested by NCA officers in March but he was re-arrested and charged on Saturday.

He appeared at Newport Magistrates’ Court yesterday and has been remanded in custody until his next appearance at Lewes Crown Court on July 27.

NCA officers launched an investigation after border force officials recovered 97 packages, each containing about a kilo of cocaine, from the back of a van carrying frozen fish.

The driver, 50-year-old James Satterley from Cookham in Maidenhead, was later charged with importing class A drugs. He now awaits trial.

NCA branch commander Peter Stevens said: ‘Working with partners like border force we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks involved in attempts to circumvent border controls.

‘Illegal drugs are linked to violence on our streets and the exploitation of the vulnerable, that is why this type of crime is a priority for us.’

Tim Kingsberry, border force regional director, said: ‘This was an excellent seizure by border force officers, who have prevented a large amount of lethal class A drugs from reaching the UK’s streets.

‘Alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to do all we can to disrupt the international trade in drug smuggling.’

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