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Failed £100 Million Cocaine Smuggling Operation in the Scottish Highlands
In 1990, a plan to smuggle uncut Colombian cocaine into Scotland via a remote Highland beach unraveled, leading to significant arrests and the disappearance of the operation's mastermind.
In December 1990, a sophisticated plan to smuggle £100 million worth of uncut Colombian cocaine into Scotland was thwarted in the Scottish Highlands.
The operation, orchestrated by Julian Chisholm, a former deep-sea diver from Blairgowrie, Perthshire, aimed to transport the narcotics across the Atlantic and land them on a secluded beach near Clashnessie, north of Ullapool.
Chisholm, who had relocated to southern Spain and integrated into the criminal underworld, successfully convinced the notorious Cali Cartel of his scheme.
He recruited a team of six, including locals Chris Howarth and Noel Hawkins, to execute the plan.
The team utilized a rusty freighter to retrieve cocaine bundles dropped off the coast of Trinidad.
Upon reaching Scottish waters during a severe storm, Howarth and Hawkins were tasked with transporting the drugs to shore via a rubber dinghy.
The harsh conditions led to the loss of several cocaine packets, with some later discovered by fishermen.
After stashing the remaining drugs onshore, the team alerted their associates, David Forrest and Ian Rae, who had rented a conspicuous orange van to collect the contraband.
Their suspicious activities drew the attention of local law enforcement, leading to their interception near Aviemore.
Authorities seized approximately half a tonne of cocaine, marking the largest drug bust in UK history at that time.
Chisholm was subsequently arrested in Spain.
However, while awaiting extradition in a high-security prison in Alicante, he managed to escape during a transfer and has remained at large since 1993. His current whereabouts are unknown, and he continues to be a wanted fugitive.
The operation, orchestrated by Julian Chisholm, a former deep-sea diver from Blairgowrie, Perthshire, aimed to transport the narcotics across the Atlantic and land them on a secluded beach near Clashnessie, north of Ullapool.
Chisholm, who had relocated to southern Spain and integrated into the criminal underworld, successfully convinced the notorious Cali Cartel of his scheme.
He recruited a team of six, including locals Chris Howarth and Noel Hawkins, to execute the plan.
The team utilized a rusty freighter to retrieve cocaine bundles dropped off the coast of Trinidad.
Upon reaching Scottish waters during a severe storm, Howarth and Hawkins were tasked with transporting the drugs to shore via a rubber dinghy.
The harsh conditions led to the loss of several cocaine packets, with some later discovered by fishermen.
After stashing the remaining drugs onshore, the team alerted their associates, David Forrest and Ian Rae, who had rented a conspicuous orange van to collect the contraband.
Their suspicious activities drew the attention of local law enforcement, leading to their interception near Aviemore.
Authorities seized approximately half a tonne of cocaine, marking the largest drug bust in UK history at that time.
Chisholm was subsequently arrested in Spain.
However, while awaiting extradition in a high-security prison in Alicante, he managed to escape during a transfer and has remained at large since 1993. His current whereabouts are unknown, and he continues to be a wanted fugitive.
