Two Dutch nationals appear in court after 1.6-tonne cocaine bust off the coast of Cornwall

Two Dutch nationals have appeared in court after 1.6 tonnes of cocaine was seized from a boat off the coast of south-west Cornwall.

Maarten Peter Pieterse, 59, and Emile Adriaan Jeroen Schoemaker, 44, appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court where they were each accused of a drug importation offence.

The seizure is one of the largest ever hauls of Class A drugs found in Britain and came after the Netherlands-registered SY Marcia was intercepted off the coast of south-west Cornwall on Wednesday and escorted to Newlyn.

Pieterse and Schoemaker are accused of being “knowingly concerned in the carrying or concealing of controlled drug of Class A, namely cocaine, on the SY Marcia knowing or having reasonable grounds to suspect that the drug was intended to be imported or had been exported contrary to Section 3(1) of the Misuse of Drugs Act”.

The pair appeared via videolink for a brief hearing in which they spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth, Dutch nationalities and to say that they did not have UK addresses.

Prosecutor Andy Young said: “On Wednesday this week Dutch-registered sailing yacht Marcia was intercepted. Thus far 1.6 tonnes of cocaine has been recovered.

MORE: Missouri duck boat survivor says captain told passengers ‘not to worry about life jackets’
MORE: Hero Brits on summer road trip praised for saving five children from drowning

“The searches are ongoing and therefore more maybe on there. Two crew members were onboard.”

The pair were remanded into custody until August 20.