Preston brothers jailed over £26.5m cocaine 'at-sea drop' plot smashed by NCA
Two Preston brothers who pretended to be on a fishing trip but instead collected £26.5 million of cocaine off Somerset have been jailed after a major NCA investigation.
Craig Nuttall, 51, and his brother Raymond, 47, arrived at Watchet Marina on 23 July 2025, telling staff they planned to stay several days and fish.
A week later they were joined by Greek national Anestis Tsepa, 24, and Albanian national Melios Delvina, 38, who travelled to the marina that evening.
Raymond was seen driving a van to the quayside, unloading jerry cans and a hose, while the other three prepared the RHIB named Guzzla.
At 8.46pm, Craig, Tsepa and Delvina headed out to sea wearing lifejackets, beginning what investigators later confirmed was an organised at-sea drugs collection.
Audio recovered from Tsepa’s phone captured the trio discussing which “mother ship” to follow, how long the journey would take and when to expect a signal.
They returned to the marina around 1am and struggled to load the RHIB onto a trailer that Raymond had driven down the slipway to meet them.
NCA officers then moved in, arresting all four men on suspicion of importing Class A drugs after monitoring the group’s movements and communications.
Inside the RHIB, officers found fourteen bale-sized packages containing 322 one-kilogram blocks of cocaine at 89 percent purity, alongside a firearm hidden within the vessel.
The haul carried an estimated street value of £26.5 million, representing one of the most significant maritime drug seizures in the region in recent years.
The Nuttalls and Tsepa remained silent in interview, while Delvina claimed he believed he was simply unloading items from a boat and denied knowing about the drugs.
Craig and Raymond Nuttall admitted importing cocaine at Taunton Crown Court in August, with Tsepa and Delvina pleading guilty to identical charges the following month.
Tsepa also admitted possessing a firearm and ammunition, reflecting the additional risks and violence often associated with large-scale drug trafficking operations.
Raymond received eleven years and three months in prison, Craig was jailed for eleven years and two months, while Tsepa was sentenced to sixteen years.
Delvina will be sentenced on 11 December, with the court continuing to consider his level of involvement and any evidence supporting his mitigation or explanation.
NCA regional investigations chief Gavin Webb said the men acted out of greed and would have profited millions had their dangerous mission succeeded without interception.
He added that tackling at-sea drug drop-offs remains a national priority, praising the support from Border Force and regional police in securing the convictions.
Reporting restrictions continue to prevent the naming of two additional men charged in relation to the same drug seizure earlier this month.