A 50ft yacht berthed in Liverpool's iconic Albert Dock which was owned by a drug trafficker is set to be sold at auction in Northern Ireland.
The National Crime Agency seized the Sy Nori yacht after its owner Gary Swift was implicated in a £60million drug plot. Swift, from the Huyton area, was arrested when police stormed the drug laden SY Atrevido during the early hours of December 2017 off the coast of Wales.
Swift was later jailed for 19 years 6 months, after pleading guilty to importing Class A drugs into the UK. Swift was handed a confiscation order worth £328,071 at Swansea Crown Court under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
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The sale of the Sy Nori , which is still berthed at Albert Dock, will be used to help settle the confiscation order which was handed to Swift by Judge Paul Thomas, QC. The 50ft yacht features a kitchen and dining area, sleeping quarters and a bathroom. It was built by Tucker Designs in the mid 1990s.
Last year a woman who knew Swift told the Liverpool Echo that he planned to start a new life in South America after the drug run. She said: "He had bought a house over there [South America]. This was his last big job and he planned to start a new life over there after this on haul. But it was not to be."
Police stormed the SY Atrevido at around 2.38am on August 27 2019. The vessel, which had sailed from South America, was escorted into Fishguard port where NCA officers and Border Force’s Deep Rummage team conducted a search. A drug haul worth a potential £60million was found onboard.
Wilsons, one of the UK's largest independent auction houses, is now handling the sale. The auction house in Mallusk, Co Antrim, has a specialist assets recovery department which represents police forces and law enforcement organisations across the UK.
Mark Woods from the auction house, said: “Sy Nori is associated with the same case as the last seized vessel (Sy Atrevido) sold at Wilsons Auctions.
"We act in realising a large quantity of assets on behalf of law enforcement clients, and we have seen a wide variety of interesting items offered at auction. In recent years, these auctions have seen us responsible in returning more than £130million to the public purse,”
“The watches, rings and handbags listed in this month’s catalogue represent some great investment opportunities, there really is something for everyone.”
Viewing appointments for SY Nori will be available to book via contacting Mark Woods on +44 (0)2890 342626 or emailing markwoods@wilsonsauctions.com. For more information go here.
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