A NINTH person has been jailed for their part in a £100m operation to import drugs by sea which involved the town of Pwllheli.

The luxury yacht Makayabella was intercepted in September 2014 after crossing the Atlantic with £160m worth of cocaine from South America on board destined for the UK.

Investigators also seized a 25-foot motor boat called Sea Breeze, moored in Pwllheli.

Stephen Powell, 48, of Leeds, who has already been jailed for 16 years for his part in the operation, had purchased Sea Breeze to meet Makaybella and collect the drugs, but it ran out of fuel on the way. It was rescued by the RNLI and towed to Rosslare in Ireland before returning to Pwllheli.

NCA officers later found the boat moored in Pwllheli marina.

Now Wayne Bush, 45, from Yorkshire is the ninth person to be convicted over the plot.

He was sentenced to a six-year prison sentence to add to three and a half years he is already serving in relation to unrelated offences. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said Bush was part of a three-man crew which was due to sail out and meet the Makayabella to bring back the drugs.

David Norris, NCA regional commander, said: “Wayne Bush played an important role in this conspiracy.

“He was to have formed part of the crew who landed this huge haul of drugs in the UK after the crime group transported them across the Atlantic.

“His conviction means nine members of this organised crime network are now behind bars either here or in Ireland.

“During this operation we drew on support from law enforcement partners in France, Ireland and Venezuela. It shows that the NCA has the capability to disrupt and bring to justice those involved at the top end of international drug trafficking.”

Tarryn McCaffrey, reviewing lawyer in the Organised Crime Division at the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “Had the plan succeeded, £164m-worth of drugs would have landed on Britain’s streets.

“This case shows that each and every member of a gang can be successfully prosecuted for their involvement in these crimes, even if they are part of a large organised crime group.”