Authorities Respond to Luxury Yacht Incident Near Plymouth, Uncover £2.3M Hidden Onboard

A routine rescue operation turned into a sensational discovery this week when a yacht arriving from Jersey ran aground near the South Devon coast.

By Samuel Whitmore, The Commons View | 09 July 2025 at 05:08

Emergency services were called to the rocky shoreline near Wembury, just outside of Plymouth, after a 38-foot luxury yacht ran aground in the early hours of Monday morning. The vessel, registered in Jersey, had issued a distress signal following apparent engine failure while navigating the Channel overnight.

The HM Coastguard, accompanied by Devon and Cornwall Police and a marine rescue team, responded to the scene at approximately 04:20. Two male passengers were safely extracted from the boat without injury. However, as responders began assessing the vessel for environmental risk, they encountered unusual modifications to the interior hull compartments.

Further inspection uncovered hidden compartments beneath the galley floor and rear cabin, containing tightly wrapped bundles of banknotes. Initial counts suggested approximately £2.3 million in mixed denominations, mostly in sterling and euros. The packages were not declared upon entry into UK waters, raising immediate suspicion.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed the men, both in their 40s and holding dual UK-Jersey residency, were detained on site and later transported to Charles Cross Police Station in Plymouth for formal questioning. The identity of the yacht’s owner is currently under investigation.

“We are treating this as a financial crime operation with possible links to money laundering,” said Inspector Fiona Mallory. “The discovery was unexpected, but the concealment method suggests a level of premeditation.”

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and National Crime Agency (NCA) have both been notified. Early reports indicate that the yacht had made prior visits to ports in northern France and Spain in the preceding weeks, which may now be subject to international coordination and review.

Meanwhile, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has been tasked with assessing whether the yacht’s grounding was accidental or a cover to mask criminal activity. Experts have not ruled out the possibility that the distress call was staged to draw attention away from its cargo.

Coastal residents in the Wembury area described seeing emergency vehicles and bright search lights along the cliffs late into the night. “It was like something out of a film,” said one local fisherman who witnessed the recovery.

The yacht remains in the custody of authorities and has been towed to a secure dock in Plymouth harbour, where forensic teams are continuing their search. Customs officers are also analysing fuel logs and onboard communications for further clues.

This incident adds to a growing trend of high-value smuggling attempts being thwarted along the southwest coastline, which authorities attribute to both heightened surveillance and increasingly sophisticated criminal methods.

Both suspects have refused to comment and are reportedly seeking legal counsel. They remain in custody pending further investigation, and police have appealed to anyone with information about the yacht's prior movements to come forward.

No environmental damage has been reported, though local conservation groups are monitoring the area for signs of marine contamination as a precautionary measure.