A SCOTS skipper is behind bars after cocaine worth almost £100million was seized in a drug trafficking blitz.
The captain, originally from Stornoway in the Western Isles, was nicked when cops swooped on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic.
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The National Crime Agency scooped up 40 bales of cocaine weighing in at more than a ton from the Spanish-registered yacht.
The Scotsman, aged 29, was one of three Brits arrested as part of the international sting.
Paul Owen, from the NCA, 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.”
NCA teams set up the operation to try and smash a gang they suspected was importing drugs into Europe.
A French navy frigate was drafted in to intercept the yacht when it was about 1,200 miles from Martinique in the West Indies.
The Scot was taken into custody along with the two other crew members found onboard on December 18.
The following day a man aged 62 , who’s originally from Lincoln, was arrested along with his son, aged 24.
Spanish cops arrested them as they were sitting down to eat at a restaurant in Marbella.
A total of eight people were nicked as a result of the seizure.
The National Crime Agency worked with cops from Spain, French customs, the French Navy and the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre Narcotics in Lisbon.
Paul Owen added: “Tackling these global networks requires international law enforcement co-operation, and I’m grateful to our partners 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.”
