A child rapist, a drug dealer and would-be international cocaine smugglers are among the criminals who have been put behind bars in Suffolk and Essex in the last week.

Duo used jet ski in bid to smuggle cocaine across the North Sea

Ipswich Star: Anthony Reilly (left) and Steven Brogan have been jailedAnthony Reilly (left) and Steven Brogan have been jailed (Image: Suffolk police)

Steven Brogan, 36, and Anthony Reilly, 34, embarked on an "ambitious" mission from the Lowestoft area to collect drugs from the Netherlands on a jet ski - but their vehicle ran out of fuel midway through the return journey.

Ipswich Crown Court heard how the pair had to be rescued by a coastguard helicopter and a Lowestoft RNLI Lifeboat around 27 nautical miles off the Suffolk coast on September 30 last year.

Brogan and Reilly were found to be transporting two "brick-like" packages of cocaine with an estimated street value of £200,000.

Detective Inspector Matt Adams, of Suffolk police's East CID, said the smugglers "acted recklessly and put their lives at risk".

Brogan was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison and Reilly was handed seven years on Tuesday.

Man sold drugs to pay off debt and feed habit

Ipswich Star: Colchester drug dealer Ryan Watts has been jailed for three yearsColchester drug dealer Ryan Watts has been jailed for three years (Image: Essex Police)

Ryan Watts, from Colchester, was stopped by police after being seen crouching and holding a black holdall in the town on January 7 last year.

Inside the bag was 14 wraps containing a total of 12.86g of cocaine.

Watts, 30, was also found to be in possession of another quantity of 2.39g of cocaine and MDMA.

Sasha Bailey, mitigating, said things had started to "fall apart" for Watts when contact with his son ended at the same time as a relationship with his former partner.

Miss Bailey added: "He started dealing drugs to pay off the debt and fund his own habit."

However, recorder Jeremy Benson QC told Watts a custodial sentence was "justified".

At Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday, Watts was jailed for three years - less 49 days spent under curfew while on bail.

Child rapist had no option but to admit his 'appalling crimes'

Ipswich Star: Scott Wigg, from Clacton, was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on WednesdayScott Wigg, from Clacton, was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Wednesday (Image: Essex Police)

Clacton man Scott Wigg has been jailed for committing sexual offences against a woman and two children.

The 32-year-old was arrested last year after his victims came forward to the police.

At Chelmsford Crown Court on Wednesday, Wigg was convicted of ten sexual offences, including three counts of raping a child.

He was given an extended sentence of 21 years, comprising 15 years in custody and six years on licence, and was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Tracey Megaw, of Essex Police, said: "Our Child Abuse and Adult Sexual Assault Investigation Teams worked together to secure evidence against Wigg, who had no option but to admit his appalling crimes."

Heroin smugglers stopped by Border Force officials

Ipswich Star: Robert Wyzuj and Stanislaw Walczak have been jailedRobert Wyzuj and Stanislaw Walczak have been jailed (Image: National Crime Agency)

Polish nationals Stanislaw Walczak, 43 and Robert Wyzuj, 55, were stopped in their lorry at Harwich Docks after they had arrived from the Netherlands.

Border Force officials conducted a search of their vehicle and found the pair were transporting 64 blocks of heroin.

Walczak and Wyzuj both denied knowingly transporting the drugs, which had an estimated street value of £3.2million.

However, they were found guilty of the importation of Class A drugs and possession of a prohibited weapon at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday.

Walczak was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Wyzuj was handed a 13-year term.