Over a tonne of cocaine, worth £100 million, has been found hidden in a shipment of banana pulp.
The 1,060 kilograms of concealed cocaine were discovered hidden in a shipping container as part of routine inspections by Border Force at the London Gateway depot in Essex last month.
The drugs are thought to have been put in the cargo in Columbia and intended to arrive in Antwerp, Belgium.
Home Office
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Drugs fuel criminality and destroy lives. Class A drugs such as cocaine inflict unimaginable damage on to our citizens and communities, shattering lives and stoking obscene levels of violence, disorder and crime.
“This significant seizure of drugs sends a stark message to criminals in the UK and abroad seeking to smuggle drugs into or through the UK: you will not succeed and we will use every inch of our law enforcement powers to track down and stop drugs from coming into the UK.”
On 12 September, officers from the Border Force National Deep Rummage Team found 1,155 kilos of cocaine in a shipping container loaded with paper which was bound for Antwerp. This was suspected to have been placed in cargo in Brazil.
The National Crime Agency is now liaising with international partners with the aim of identifying those involved in the shipments.
Home Office
NCA branch commander Jacque Beer said: “These were substantial seizures and will represent a significant hit to the organised crime groups involved, meaning less profit for them to reinvest.
“While the UK wasn’t the end destination for either shipment, it is likely that at least a proportion would have ended up being sold on our streets.
“The NCA is working with law enforcement partners in the UK, in Europe and worldwide to target the criminal networks behind drug trafficking and disrupt their activities.
Ultimately this work protects the UK public.”