Border force seize cocaine worth £4.86 million at Harwich
Border Force officers at Harwich International Port have prevented an attempt to smuggle approximately 54 kilos of cocaine into the UK.
On Thursday (30 April), officers at the port stopped an Irish-registered lorry carrying a load of frozen food which had just arrived on a ferry from the Hook of Holland. They noticed anomalies in the trailer doors and conducted a search. Inside the trailer they found 47 wrapped packages concealed in metal lined containers.
The contents of some of the packages were tested and proved positive for cocaine. The drugs had a potential street value in excess of £4.86 million.
Chris Philp, Minister for Immigration Compliance said:
This was a fantastic bit of work from the team. They have succeeded in taking a large amount of cocaine off our streets, where it can cause significant harm to both individuals and communities.
Every year Border Force officers seize Class A drugs worth hundreds of millions of pounds. Working with law enforcement colleagues like the National Crime Agency we will do all we can to stop drug traffickers and bring them to justice.
A British man was arrested and the investigation passed to the NCA. He was interviewed and released under investigation.
Jacque Beer, NCA Branch Commander said:
This seizure shows that organised criminal networks involved in international drug trafficking continue to pose a threat to the UK, even with the restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
Working with partners like Border Force we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to disrupt and dismantle crime groups involved in drug distribution.
Border Force officers use hi-tech search equipment to combat immigration crime and detect banned and restricted goods that smugglers attempt to bring into the country.
They use an array of search techniques including sniffer dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners - as well as visual searches - to find well-hidden stowaways, illegal drugs, firearms and tobacco which would otherwise end up causing harm to local people, businesses and communities.
Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or report smuggling online.