£76 million of cocaine hidden in bananas seized at Southampton
Around £76 million worth of cocaine has been found in a shipment of bananas at the Port of Southampton.
Border Force officers seized almost a tonne of cocaine hidden amongst the goods which was bound for Europe.
The Class A drugs were discovered during a routine inspections on Friday (15 January), having been concealed within a shipping container transported on a commercial vessel docked at the port.
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 Priti Patel says the message to drug-smugglers is that their 'efforts will fail'.
She 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.”
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."