Please select your home edition
Edition
Sea Sure 2025

The Yacht that fell into foul company - drugs, dead body, wrecked

by Lee Mylchreest on 17 Nov 2012
Jereve as she was found by divers on an atoll near Tonga SW
Originally called Jonathan, until this year the 1991 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 44 called Jereve lead the normal exotic life of a cruising boat with loving owners, sailing between the Med and the Caribbean. So how did she end up washed up on a reef in Tonga with 204kg of cocaine and the decomposed body of one of her crew? Authorities know some of the answers to the mystery but not all.


In the middle of this year, it was for sale in Panama. Then in August, acting on a tip-off from a US drug agency, Australian Federal Police began tracking the yacht after it cleared customs with two crew in Ecuador on August 20, indicating it was sailing across the Pacific towards Australia. It was a suspected drug operation by a known crime syndicate. Already aware of the identity of the two crew, they began to track its movements.

They lost track of it near the Cook Islands, but on October 05, just 35 days after it departed from Ecuador, the yacht reappeared, washed up on Luatatifo Atoll about 10nm from Tonga.

Some local divers made the gruesome discovery and reported their findings. Tongan authorities confirmed that there was a body on the deck, badly decomposed by the sun, and 204 1kg blocks of cocaine hidden in the hull, but no sign of the other crew member.

The whereabouts of the yacht's missing crew member is being investigated and the cause of death of the body found onboard is the subject of a Tongan inquest.

The questions remain. Is the other crew member still alive? If so where is he? Was there foul play in the death of the discovered crew member? Tongan authorities have not yet ruled the death suspicious, but the drugs on board tell their own story.

In an outstanding example of global and regional police co-operation, Tonga, Cook Islands, Australia and the USA have cooperated in the tracking of the yacht.

PredictWind - Routing 728x90 BOTTOMHenri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeLloyd Stevenson - AC INEOS 1456x180px BOTTOM

Related Articles

Aussies hunt 'Ashes on Water' win
The BONDS Flying Roos are looking to bounce back with a vengeance in Portsmouth Fresh off a bruising weekend in New York, the BONDS Flying Roos are looking to bounce back with a vengeance as they take on long time rivals Great Britain in their home waters at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, held in Portsmouth.
Posted today at 9:27 pm
4 Ultim rocketships to contest Rolex Fastnet Race
The giant 32m long by 23m wide flying trimarans are taking part in the 100th anniversary edition While the 50ft flying catamarans competing at SailGP Portsmouth this weekend will be impressive, charging out of the opposite western end of the Solent will be giant 32m long by 23m wide flying Ultim trimarans taking part in the 100th anniversary edition.
Posted today at 6:45 pm
SailGP comes to Portsmouth!
We speak to the sailors ahead of the weekend The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth takes place this weekend, with the 12 teams competing in F50 catamarans close to the waterfront, where a massive grandstand has been built for the spectators.
Posted today at 5:41 pm
SailGP: No practice racing at Portsmouth
The Practice Race was a fizzer, however the future of the SailGP fleet development was revealed. The scheduled Practice Day failed to fire at SailGP Portsmouth, after the forecast, admittedly light, breeze failed to male an appearance. The self propelled start marks were making a much better speed than the F50s.
Posted today at 4:14 pm
Elite Training at New Sailing Centre
Canash Beach, St Vincent, hosts international sailors The SVG Sailing Association held a successful High Performance Race Training Clinic, at the newly established High Performance Centre at Canash Beach, St Vincent. The four-day event ran from July 13th to 16th.
Posted today at 1:51 pm
McIntyre Mini Globe Race Leg 3 Preview
The race to South Africa starts from Vuda Marina Fiji on 26th July In a world-first sailing challenge, 15 solo sailors from eight countries are navigating identical 5.8-meter (19-foot) self-built plywood yachts around the globe— The fleet has enjoyed a five week stopover in Fiji at the end of Leg 2.
Posted today at 1:26 pm
Third time Finn World No.1 for Alessandro Marega
Maintaining the top spot in the Finn World Ranking List Italy's Alessandro Marega maintains the top spot in the Finn World Ranking List for the third consecutive release. He remains World No. 1 with an 80-point lead over France's Laurent Hay.
Posted today at 1:18 pm
World Sailing Nations Cup to make grand return
After a seven-year hiatus, World Sailing has officially opened the bid process for host cities After a seven-year hiatus, the World Sailing Nations Cup, the ultimate event to crown the world's top match-racing nations, is making its much-anticipated return.
Posted today at 9:08 am
2025 WASZP Pre-Games in Weymouth Day 2
A classic British summer's day as sailors launched beneath a blanket of grey cloud and drizzle The second day of the WASZP Pre-Games served up a classic British summer's day as sailors launched beneath a blanket of grey cloud and with a hug of fresh drizzle.
Posted today at 5:25 am
Moth take a big step forward at Garda Worlds
The just concluded Int Moth Worlds at Lake Garda, Italy were technically much more complex than NZ The just concluded Int Moth Worlds at Lake Garda, Italy were technically much more complex than the 2024 World Championship, held just six months ago in New Zealand.
Posted on 17 Jul