Border Force officers have seized 2.4 tonnes of cocaine with a value of almost £100 million in one of the biggest drugs busts in years. The enormous haul was found under containers on a ship arriving into London Gateway port from Panama, the Home Office said.
Specialist officers detected the shipment earlier this month after carrying out an intelligence-led operation. With help from the port operator, they moved 37 large containers to get at the stash.
Worth an estimated £96 million, it marks the sixth-largest cocaine seizure since records began. Minister for migration and citizenship Seema Malhotra said: “Drugs gangs trying to import illegal substances into the UK are a blight on society and we will leave no stone left unturned in our pursuit of organised crime gangs inflicting addiction, misery and death upon Britain’s communities.
“Well done to Border Force Maritime officers on a hugely successful operation, which has struck a major blow against the criminals threatening our country.” Cocaine-related deaths in England and Wales rose by 31% between 2022 and 2023, the Home Office said.
Border Force Maritime director Charlie Eastaugh said: “This seizure – one of the largest of its kind – is just one example of how dedicated Border Force maritime officers remain one step ahead of the criminal gangs who threaten our security. Our message to these criminals is clear – more than ever before, we are using intelligence and international law enforcement co-operation to disrupt and dismantle your operations.”
Container ships are one of the main methods used by gangs to smuggle cocaine into the UK, Mr Eastaugh told The Times. Meanwhile, a haul of 20 firearms, 320 rounds of ammunition, 170kg of ketamine and 4,000 MDMA pills have been found in a lorry at Dover Port.
National Crime Agency investigators estimate the street value of the ketamine would have been around £4.5 million and £40,000 for the MDMA. The driver, a 34-year-old Tajikstan national, was arrested on suspicion of smuggling the illegal items.
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