Two men, one Dutch and one English, have been charged with drugs smuggling after they were spotted in an inflatable boat carrying 350 kilos of cocaine off the coast of England.

The boat with two men and the drugs on board was sighted by coastguard close to the seaside village of Wrentham in Suffolk on Monday.  Dutch national Ferhat G, 31, jumped overboard and attempted to get away by swimming to the shore but was picked up before he could reach land. 

The drugs, with a street value of some €44 million, were found hidden under a tarpaulin. Investigators believe the boat had travelled out to sea where it had met a larger ship and collected the haul of drugs.

The second man was 55-year-old Bruce K from Norfolk England. Both men appeared in court on Wednesday and were charged with drugs smuggling.

The route between the Netherlands and Suffolk is closely monitored by police and is said to be a popular drugs route. In February, British police found 200 kilos of ketamine on a Dutch trawler and five British nationals were arrested.