UK authorities have seized 2.9 tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated £232 million at London Gateway Port in Essex as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation. The shipment was discovered last Thursday after Border Force officers acted on intelligence supplied by the NCA.
The cocaine had been concealed in a consignment of bananas from South America. Following the discovery, officers removed the drugs while allowing the container to continue its journey. It was later collected and delivered to a location near Buntingford, Hertfordshire.
Nine men were subsequently arrested in connection with the investigation and later released on bail. Dave Phillips, the NCA’s senior investigating officer, described the seizure as “very significant”, saying it had deprived the organised crime group behind the shipment of substantial profits.
“That is money that cannot be ploughed back into further crime,” Phillips said. He added that the NCA would continue working with Border Force and international partners to tackle the trafficking of Class A drugs.