Massive cocaine haul valued at £100m seized at UK port
The enormous haul was found under containers on a ship arriving into London Gateway port from Panama, the Home Office said.
Specialist officers detected the shipment earlier this month after carrying out an intelligence-led operation.
With help from the port operator, they moved 37 large containers to get at the stash.
Worth an estimated £96 million, it marks the sixth-largest cocaine seizure since records began.
Minister for migration and citizenship Seema Malhotra said: 'Drugs gangs trying to import illegal substances into the UK are a blight on society and we will leave no stone left unturned in our pursuit of organised crime gangs inflicting addiction, misery and death upon Britain's communities.
'Well done to Border Force Maritime officers on a hugely successful operation, which has struck a major blow against the criminals threatening our country.'
Cocaine-related deaths in England and Wales rose by 31% between 2022 and 2023, the Home Office said.
Border Force 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 co-operation to disrupt and dismantle your operations.'
Container ships are one of the main methods used by gangs to smuggle cocaine into the UK, Mr Eastaugh told The Times.
Meanwhile, a haul of 20 firearms, 320 rounds of ammunition, 170kg of ketamine and 4,000 MDMA pills have been found in a lorry at Dover Port.
National Crime Agency investigators estimate the street value of the ketamine would have been around £4.5 million and £40,000 for the MDMA.
The driver, a 34-year-old Tajikstan national, was arrested on suspicion of smuggling the illegal items.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
4 hours ago
- Wales Online
One of the biggest drugs haul in history discovered at British port with £100m of cocaine seized
One of the biggest drugs haul in history discovered at British port with £100m of cocaine seized After the vessel was intercepted officers moved 37 large containers out of their way before locating the haul which weighed 2.4 tonnes worth an estimated £96m The load was discovered on a container vessel at the London Gateway port. It had been travelling from Panama (Image: Border Force ) Border Force officers in Essex have seized a huge volume of cocaine with a street value of almost £100m. Officers have called the discovery one of the largest drugs busts in recent history. The load was discovered on a container vessel at the London Gateway port. It had been travelling from Panama. After the vessel was intercepted at the port in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, officers moved 37 large containers out of their way before locating the haul which weighed 2.4 tonnes worth an estimated £96m. It makes the haul the sixth largest cocaine seizure since records began, the Home Office said. In a statement a spokesperson for Border Force said: 'The interception strikes a significant financial and operational blow against the organised crime groups behind its importation and is an example of an intelligence driven outcome to disrupt criminal supply chains.' Article continues below Border Force maritime director Charlie Eastaugh explained: '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 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.' Government minister Seema Malhotra added: "Drugs gangs trying to import illegal substances into the UK are a blight on society and we will leave no stone left unturned in our pursuit of organised crime gangs inflicting addiction, misery and death upon Britain's communities."
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
Gun thefts surge amid violent crime wave
The number of guns being stolen from their owners has hit a five-year high amid fears that 'opportunistic' thieves are supplying them to criminals. Police chiefs have issued a nationwide warning to owners that they must keep their weapons secure because of the risks to the public from their use in 'serious violence' by criminals. Two men, aged 18 and 41, have been shot dead in two outbreaks of street gun violence in just the last week in London. Official figures, analysed by The Telegraph, show that the number of shotguns, rifles or pistols stolen last year rose by 24 per cent to 312, equivalent to nearly one a day. That is the highest number for at least five years. Data for previous years is not publicly available. Over the past five years, some 2,194 legally owned firearms and shotguns were reported lost or stolen. Of these, 1,383 were taken in burglaries or other thefts. Last year, the 312 stolen weapons included 250 shotguns, 36 rifles and three pistols, according to Home Office figures. Assistant Chief Constable Tim Metcalfe, the National Police Chiefs' Council's (NPCC) lead on firearms, said any lost or stolen firearm could end up in the hands of criminals, posing a direct threat to the public. However, while criminals sought to access weapons, the UK remained the lowest in the world for gun-related criminality. The number of firearms offences fell last year by 20 per cent to 5,252, according to the Office for National Statistics. However, the number of people killed by guns has remained steady at an average of 28 a year over the past decade. Robbery and violent offences have increased while knife crime is close to its record high. 'A lost or stolen firearm could end up in the hands of criminals who would pose a clear threat to the public. I want to remind gun owners to check their security measures are up to scratch so that they are not inadvertently putting people at risk,' said Mr Metcalfe. Non-criminals rarely the victims In its annual threat assessment, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said most firearms discharges were in public spaces such as streets and parks, which increased the risk to members of the public. 'People who are not connected to criminality are rarely the intended victims of firearm discharges, but are on occasion hit by stray bullets or in crossfire. Isolated, tragic incidents are inevitably high profile and lead to a perception of heightened firearms crime in an area,' it said. Christian Ashwell, the NCA's head of the criminal use of firearms, said: 'Shotguns stolen from residential premises or private vehicles enter the criminal marketplace, but thefts of legally-held firearms remain opportunistic, rather than targeted.' He said most weapons were smuggled in from abroad. Post and parcels were common methods, while firearms were also imported through ferry routes in small numbers. 'Items ordered online are sometimes legal in the country they are bought from, but illegal in the UK and are frequently detected at the border,' he said. Nicholas Prosper, 19, murdered his mother, sister and brother in their home in Luton in September with a shotgun bought the day before using a fake licence. He was jailed for life in March. Firearms licensing was tightened after Jake Davison, 26, shot dead five people in Plymouth in 2021 including his mother, with a shotgun for which he had been granted a licence despite a history of violence and having had it confiscated when he attacked two children a year before the shootings. A Home Office spokesman said: 'The UK has strong firearms controls and we work tirelessly with partners to stop firearms coming unlawfully into the country and keep them off our streets. 'We are tackling the threat posed by the trafficking and misuse of illicit firearms and keep firearms controls under constant review to address evolving threats.'
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
UK authorities seize cocaine worth more than $130 million from a ship at London port
British authorities seized 2.4 metric tons of cocaine in a ship arriving in England from Panama, authorities said Saturday, calling it one of the U.K.'s biggest drug busts in years. The drugs, valued at 96 million pounds ($132 million), were found under containers on a vessel at London Gateway port, east of the British capital. The shipment was discovered after what officials said was an intelligence-led operation. Britain's interior ministry, the Home Office, said it was the sixth-largest cocaine seizure on record. U.K. Border Force Maritime director Charlie Eastaugh said the seizure was '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 co-operation to disrupt and dismantle your operations.' Britain is one of Europe's biggest markets for cocaine, according to the National Crime Agency. The U.K. government says cocaine-related deaths in England and Wales rose by 31% between 2022 and 2023.
