Two more members of a crime group that was involved in a 28 mile at-sea chase have been jailed for their roles in a plot to smuggle cocaine into the uk.
Peter Williams and Bobbie Pearce were today (Thursday 21 Aug) jailed for 16 years and nine months and 15 years and four months respectively.
Four of their accomplices were jailed for more than 82 years earlier this month at Truro Crown Court.
Scott Johnston, 38, of Havant and Edwin Yahir Tabora Baca, 33, of Barcelona, Spain tried to outrun pursuing officers for around 28 miles at sea after their cocaine-laden boat was spotted off the coast of Cornwall.
They were jailed for 24 years and 17 years 7 months respectively.
Michael May, 47, of Brentwood; and Terry Willis, 44, of Chelmsford, helped organise collection of the cocaine, worth £18.4m. They were also sentenced to 19 years’ and 21 years 8 months’ imprisonment.
Williams, 43, of Havant and Pearce, 29, of Brentwood faced justice today and the final member of their organised crime group – Alex Fowlie, 35, of Chichester – will be sentenced on 5 September.
Tabora Baca – Willis – May – Johnston
The National Crime Agency (NCA) began investigating after Johnston, Williams and Tabora Baca were arrested when their rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) ran aground on Gwynver Beach, Penzance on 13 September 2024.
The men had been pursued for around an hour by Border Force officers who had spotted their RHIB on the horizon while carrying out an operation off the coast of Newquay, Cornwall.
Officers suspected the boat had drugs on board, collected from a larger ship at sea, and tried to intercept the RHIB. As the officers approached the boat, it sped off and a chase unfolded during which the RHIB’s crew threw packages into the water.
After the RHIB ran aground, the men ran off but were quickly caught by Border Force officers who chased them on foot and arrested them.
Six large bales were recovered from the sea, containing around 230kg of powder which specialist analysts identified as high-purity cocaine.
The investigation was referred to NCA officers, who trawled through CCTV footage, call data and phone messages, subsequently identifying Fowlie, Pearce, May, and Willis were involved.
Fowlie was responsible for purchasing the boat.
Audio messages retrieved from his phone by officers after his arrest revealed he also began organising further at-sea drug collections just days after his co-conspirators were arrested on 13 September. In recordings sent on 16 September, Fowlie sent an unidentified contact audio messages advising he could collect up to “one tonne” and claiming that there was “zero f*cking risk”.
Pearce, May and Willis’ roles included lying in wait on the Cornish coast on 13 September, where they expected the cocaine to be dropped off to them.
All seven men initially denied their crimes.
Tabora Baca even claimed to be a tourist who had accepted an invitation from two strangers – Williams and Johnston – to go fishing. However officers recovered messages from his phone in which he discussed the group’s plans and shared a photo of the cocaine onboard the RHIB.
Faced with the evidence against them, five of the men including Williams and Pearce – pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import Class A drugs, including Willis who also pleaded guilty to money laundering and possession of firearm, relating to a revolver and ammunition found at his home address by NCA officers.
May and Johnston went to trial and were found guilty of conspiracy to import Class A drugs on 23 June.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer, Barry Vinall, said:
“These are substantial sentences for six men who didn’t care about the misery cocaine causes, they just wanted to make a profit.
“Cocaine is one of the most harmful illegal drugs in the UK, linked to thousands of deaths and fuelling violent crime that wrecks communities and lives.
“Working together, Border Force stopped cocaine worth millions from making it onto UK streets and the National Crime Agency ensured that the group behind its importation faced justice.”
Duncan Capps, Senior Director of Border Force Maritime said:
“It is the job of Border Force to protecting our border and keeping communities safe. Our officers were fantastic and displayed incredible skill during the 28-mile pursuit, despite the suspects’ attempts to get rid of evidence.
“Border Force will continue to work alongside the NCA to prevent dangerous drugs reaching our streets and will ensure criminals caught smuggling face the full force of the law.”
21 August 2025
Read More NCA |National Crime Agency