Cocaine weighing 2,300kg and with an estimated value of £184m has been found inside a consignment of bananas that arrived in the UK from Colombia.
The haul of cocaine was intercepted in Portsmouth and the drugs were removed, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
The 41 pallets were then loaded with dummy packages and delivered to Tottenham Industrial Estate in north London.
Ten people were arrested over the haul, which represents one of the UK’s biggest ever drugs seizures.
The raid was a joint operation between the NCA and the Met Police and was the culmination of a week-long investigation, following intelligence received by detectives.
OCP officers – supported by armed units from the NCA and the MPS – moved in to arrest the five recipients.
The other five men were arrested at a different industrial estate in Enfield.
All ten remain in custody and three have since been charged with the importation of class A drugs.
10 people have been arrested and 2.3 tonnes of cocaine seized before reaching UK streets, as part of a joint @NCA_UK & @metpoliceuk Organised Crime Partnership investigation.
The cocaine was imported to the UK in a consignment of bananas.
Full story ➡️ https://t.co/gYmfaTljGh pic.twitter.com/RMqTQZgYZn
— National Crime Agency (NCA) (@NCA_UK) February 19, 2021