Video captured the moment that two suspected drug smugglers in England tried to outrun police in a powerboat before jumping overboard to evade arrest, the Yorkshire Evening Post (YEP) reported.
The video from June 24 shows Bruce Knowles, 55, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 31, traveling in a rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) and failing to stop when ordered by officers on a Border Force cutter, according to YEP. Footage shows the Border Force cutter approaching the side of the RHIB while an officer yells, “Stop the boat! Stop the boat now!” and “You’ve been warned! You’ve been warned several times!” (RELATED: US Coast Guard Seized Illegal Drugs Worth Nearly $500 Million)
🚨 Two drug smugglers jumped into the water in a bid to avoid being caught with £39 million of cocaine after they were chased by Border Force officers https://t.co/dkoQNYwT96
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 22, 2024
After slowing down and coming to a near stop, the suspects then hit the gas and try to flee. When Gumrukguoglu jumps overboard, the officer can be heard yelling, “One in the water. Mark the clock!”
Knowles, who was driving the boat, eventually comes to a stop. The officer confronts him saying, “Stand down. You’ve been warned,” before Knowles also jumps into the water.
Police were able to chase down and arrest Knowles at the scene, YEP reported. Norfolk and Suffolk police later caught up with Gumrukguoglu and arrested him in Wrentham, according to the newspaper.
Officers from the National Crime Agency searched the boat and found 350 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated $51 million, YEP reported.
Investigators said that the suspects picked up the drugs from a larger ship in French waters before hauling them to England, according to YEP.
Both men were charged with importing a controlled drug and pleaded guilty to the crime at the Ipswich Crown Court on Aug. 20, the newspaper reported.