Four members of an organised crime group which tried to import cannabis into the UK on a yacht have been jailed.
The men used encrypted communications on the EncroChat platform to speak to each other. The National Crime Agency (NCA) found they planned to import the drug from Morocco using a yacht between February and June 2020.
The NCA found the group discussing the quantity of drugs to be transported and landing areas for the drugs and there were pictures of the rigid-hulled inflatable boat they intended to use.
Rupert Kelly, 29, from Broadwindsor, Dorset, was the ringleader of the group, who intended to offload the drugs in Cornwall, for distribution throughout the UK.
Daniel Parrot, 48, from Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, was responsible for purchasing fuel drums which would provide cover for the transport of the drugs on the yacht.
Gavin Challis, 46, from Nazeling, Essex, was to arrange for the purchase of the cannabis and Jason Tongue, 47, from Hucknall, was due to meet the vessel when it landed in the UK.
Officers searched the men's homes and found more than £25,000 at Kelly and Challis' addresses as well as four cannabis plants and six seedlings at the home of Challis.
On Thursday, the men were jailed for 12 years between them at Bristol Crown Court after being convicted of conspiracy to import and supply class B drugs.
Kelly was given a five-and-a-half year sentence; Parrot three-and-a-half years; Challis three years; and Tongue 18 months.
Ty Surgeon, operations manager at the NCA, said: "It's clear these men had every intention of importing the drugs into the UK for distribution, where they could have fuelled exploitation and violence.
"Despite their attempts to conceal their plans by using EncroChat devices, our investigation prevented this plot from coming to fruition.
"Disrupting organised crime groups, from source countries to the streets of the UK, remains one of our top priorities."
