Longton man, 60, jailed after £26.5 million worth of smuggled cocaine seized by NCA in Somerset
322 kilos of high-purity cocaine were seized...
A man from Longton has been jailed for more than 20 years after £26.5 million worth of cocaine was smuggled into Britain.
Colin Benson, 60, of Marsh Lane, Longton, was found guilty yesterday of being knowingly concerned in the importation of cocaine following a two-week trial at North Somerset Crown Court.
Benson appeared at the same court today (April 23), where he was sentenced to 20 years and six months imprisonment.
The 60-year-old was arrested by National Crime Agency officers in November 2025, who had investigated the seizure of 322 kilos of high-purity cocaine at Watchet Marina, off the Somerset coast.
A second Longton man, Joshua Rose, was also arrested. The 38-year-old, of Hall Lane, pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of an organised crime group at an earlier hearing and will be sentenced at a later date.
The pair were filmed by NCA officers who surveilled them as they waited on the shore for the return of a Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat (RHIB) called the ‘Guzzla’.
The craft had been sent to out to collect the drugs on July 30, 2025, with Craig Nuttall, 51, Anestis Tsepa, 25, and 39-year-old Melios Delvina on board. Also waiting on land was Craig Nuttall’s 48-year-old brother Raymond.
Benson had driven back and forth from Preston to the marina on a number of occasions before the day of the drugs collection, to plan the event and meet up with his accomplices. His red Range Rover was picked up by ANPR cameras during his trips down south.
But on the day of the NCA bust, Benson and Rose fled the marina in their vehicles as officers arrested the other four men on suspicion of importation of Class A drugs.
The pair drove in convoy all the way back to Preston, but NCA officers caught up with them and arrested both men in Lancashire in November 2025.
Cocaine worth £26.5 million seized
Following the arrests, their boat was searched and found to contain a large number of bale-sized packages that had been stored along the floor and between the seats. There were 14 packages in total, containing a further 322 smaller packages weighing a kilo each.
The substance inside was tested and found to be cocaine with an 89% purity. The drugs would be worth £26.5 million at street level, according to the NCA. A firearm was also discovered in the boat.
Investigations showed that Benson and Rose were linked financially, with a company connected to Rose making 24 separate payments to Benson in the period of a year before and after the importation.
The other four men pleaded guilty to drugs importation charges last year and have been sentenced to a total of 49 years. Tsepa also pleaded guilty to possession of the firearm found on the boat.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer Alan French said: “Benson and Rose adopted the role of bystanders and clearly didn’t want to embark on such a risky journey to collect this valuable cargo.
“However, they played a central role in planning the conspiracy through the numerous trips made down south.
“When their accomplices were arrested, they knew the game was up and left the scene in haste. It’s possible they thought that law enforcement wouldn’t bother to arrest them and make them accountable for their crimes, but the NCA will never cease in bringing those involved in smuggling class A drugs to justice.”