Border Force officers have seized almost a
tonne of cocaine hidden amongst a shipment of bananas bound for
Europe.
The Class A drugs were detected at the
Port of Southampton on Friday (15 January) having been concealed
within a shipping container transported on a commercial vessel
docked at the port, as part of routine inspections.
The cocaine, which weighed a total of
946 kilos, was suspected to have been placed in the cargo in
Colombia and was bound for Antwerp in Belgium.
The cocaine had a potential street value of around £76
million.
Home Secretary said:
“This was drug smuggling on an
industrial scale so I’m delighted that Border Force officers have
prevented such a large quantity of dangerous goods from reaching
our streets.
“Drugs devastate communities, line the
pockets of serious criminals, and are a serious driver of the
violence which ruin young lives right across the
country.
“We are sending a strong signal to criminals in the UK and
abroad seeking to smuggle drugs into or through the UK: your
efforts will fail and we will use every part of our law
enforcement powers to stop drugs from coming into the UK.”
Using an array of search techniques and
visual checks, Border Force officers were able to identify
anomalies within the container cargo.
Regional Director for Border
Force South, Tim Kingsberry said:
“This significant seizure has removed a
large amount of dangerous drugs from the streets, which not only
reduces the significant harm they cause to communities but also
makes a huge dent in the profits of smugglers.”
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.
