Latest news with #UKdrugs
Al Jazeera
28-06-2025
- Al Jazeera
UK authorities seize more than two tonnes of cocaine in ‘one of largest' busts
Border authorities in United Kingdom have seized cocaine with a street value of $132m from a ship arriving from Panama. Border Force Maritime director Charlie Eastaugh said on Saturday that the massive haul of 2.4 tonnes of the drug seized at the London Gateway port near the capital was 'one of the largest of its kind'. UK's Home Office confirmed that the haul, found under containers on a ship arriving from Panama, was the sixth-largest cocaine seizure on record. Specialist officers had detected the shipment earlier this month after carrying out an intelligence-led operation, moving 37 large containers to get at the stash. The UK is one of Europe's biggest markets for cocaine, according to the National Crime Agency. The UK government says cocaine-related deaths in England and Wales rose by 31 percent between 2022 and 2023. On Thursday, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said the cocaine trade went from strength to strength in 2023, the latest year for which comprehensive data is available. The Vienna-based agency's annual World Drug Report showed that cocaine was the world's 'fastest-growing illicit drug market', with Colombian production surging as demand for the drug expands in Europe and North and South America. Around the globe, the estimated number of cocaine users also kept growing, reaching 25 million people in 2023, up from 17 million 10 years earlier, the UNODC said.
CTV News
28-06-2025
- CTV News
U.K. authorities seize cocaine worth more than US$130 million from a ship at London port
Shipping containers wait to be processed at London Gateway port, in Stanford-le-Hope, on the Thames estuary east of London, England, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo, File) LONDON — 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 (US$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 per cent between 2022 and 2023. The Associated Press
