Two brothers who claimed they were simply out fishing off the Somerset coast have been jailed for helping to smuggle more than £26million of cocaine into Britain.
Craig Nuttall, 51, and his younger brother Raymond, 47, had arrived at Watchet Marina in July 2025 insisting they were planning a few quiet days on the water in their Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat, the Guzzla.
They even handed over fishing details to the marina manager to complete the ruse.
But investigators later uncovered that the pair had travelled from Preston as part of an organised crime group sent to collect a major cocaine haul during an at-sea drop-off.
They were later joined by a Greek national, 24-year-old Anestis Tsepa, and 38-year-old Albanian Melios Delvina as the final stage of the operation got underway.
All have now been jailed at Taunton Crown Court, with the National Crime Agency saying the gang was ‘fuelled by greed’ and stood to make millions. Officers also found a firearm in the vessel, underlining ‘the levels they were willing to go to’.
On the evening of 30 July, Tsepa, Delvina and Craig Nuttall were spotted boarding the Guzzla in lifejackets before heading out into to sea under the cover of darkness.
Audio messages recovered from Tsepa’s device caught the men organising the meeting, discussing an area where a larger ship had dropped off drugs into the sea for a smaller boat to collect.
The roar of the Guzzla’s engine could be heard in the background as they travelled towards the drop point.
On the evening of 30 July, the group were spotted boarding the Guzzla in lifejackets before heading out to sea under the cover of darkness
The drugs were found stored in bale-sized packages on the vessel
Brothers Craig Nuttall (left) and Raymond Nuttall (right) arrived at Watchet Marina insisting they were planning a few quiet days on the water
They returned to the marina around 1am and attempted to connect the boat to a trailer Raymond had backed down the slipway.
But before they could haul it out of the water, National Crime Agency officers swooped, arresting all four men on suspicion of importing Class A drugs.
As officers looked inside the vessel, they found 322kg of cocaine with a potential street value of £26.5million packed along the floor and between the seats.
Investigators also found a firearm and ammunition.
The Nuttalls and Tsepa gave ‘no comment’ interviews, while Delvina offered a pre-prepared statement claiming he thought he had simply been hired to unload items from a boat.
All four later admitted importing cocaine, with Tsepa also pleading guilty to possessing a firearm.
At Taunton Crown Court, Raymond Nuttall was jailed for 11 years and three months, Craig Nuttall for 11 years and two months, and Tsepa for 16 years. Delvina will be sentenced on 11 December.
As officers looked inside the vessel, they found 322kg of cocaine with a potential street value of £26.5million packed along the floor and between the seats
A gun was also found in the bag which the NCA shows the levels which the group was willing to go in their mission to smuggle drugs into Britain
The brothers were joined by 24-year-old Anestis Tsepa (left), from Greece, and 38-year-old Albanian Melios Delvina (right)
NCA Regional Head of Investigations Gavin Webb said: said: ‘These men were working as part of an organised crime group, using the cover of darkness to collect a significant amount of cocaine that would have ended up on the streets of the UK.
‘They were fuelled by greed – if their attempt had been successful it would have netted them millions of pounds in profit.
‘The presence of a firearm in the boat shows the levels they were willing to go to with their offending.
‘The NCA is confronting and dealing with at-sea drugs drop-offs as a priority to ensure illegal drugs do not make it to UK shores.
‘Dedicated Officers from the NCA were aided by, and are grateful for, the vital support of, our partners in Border Force, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, Avon and Somerset Police and Devon and Cornwall Police. These criminals are now behind bars.’
