Cocaine haul worth nearly £100m seized in one of UK's biggest-ever drugs busts
A haul of cocaine worth nearly £100m has been seized at a UK port, authorities say.
The haul, weighing 2.4 tonnes, was found under containers on a ship arriving from Panama at London Gateway port in Thurrock, Essex.
It had been detected earlier this year after an intelligence-led operation but was intercepted as it arrived in the UK this week.
With the help of the port operator, 37 large containers were moved to uncover the drugs, worth an estimated £96m.
The haul is the sixth-largest cocaine seizure in UK history, according to Border Force.
Its 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 cooperation to disrupt and dismantle your operations."
Read more from Sky News
Container ships are one of the main ways international gangs smuggle Class A drugs into the UK, Mr Eastaugh said.
Meanwhile, cocaine deaths in England and Wales increased by 31% between 2022 and 2023, according to the latest Home Office data.
Elsewhere this weekend, a separate haul of 170kg of ketamine, 4,000 MDMA pills, and 20 firearms were found on a lorry at Dover Port in Kent.
Experts estimate the ketamine's street value to be £4.5m, with the MDMA worth at least £40,000.
The driver of the lorry, a 34-year-old Tajikistan national, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of smuggling the items, the National Crime Agency said.
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People always comment on what a lovely lad Mackenzie is. I have never had any trouble from him. "Dean possibly would have had his own family now. He was just football mad. He loved his football, he was a big Sunderland fan. He was such a laid back happy lad. Everybody says what a lovely lad he was. There's one of his friends that still regularly goes to his grave. It's really nice." And Janine even says she has let go of some of the anger over the years, and instead pities her son's killers. "I just think I have got to where I am today and I pity them now," she said. " I just think I have come out of this as best as I can and am living my life. I am remembering the happy times. Nobody says you have to be sad. I have got to carry on living my life and not be consumed by what happened." Janine now works with students at Sunderland University on medical courses where she help them learn to ask sensitive questions. "It's good to talk about him. He may not be here but he still is in a way," she said. "I love talking about Dean. People assume I don't want to talk about him. He was a lovely boy. Everyone that knew him says how lovely he was and that makes me proud."
