Bristol man charged after tins filled with cocaine rather than fruit found in £1.75m police probe

A man from Bristol has been charged with drug offences following his arrest by the National Crime Agency.

Officers had been investigating the attempted importation of cocaine with a potential street value of around £1.75m.

Derick Everton Grant, who is originally from Jamaica, is the director of a food importation company which allegedly arranged the shipment of 10 pallets of ackee - the national fruit of the Caribbean nation. It was being important to Portbury Dock in Bristol.

When Border Force officers searched the shipment on 17 March they identified a number of boxes in which the tins were filled with cocaine rather than fruit. The tins contained a total of 22kg of cocaine.

The 52-year-old was arrested yesterday morning (20 March) as he exited a flat on Broomhill Road in Bristol, carrying a bag holding his passport, a large quantity of cash and two high-value watches.

Two other individuals from the Bristol area, a 41-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman, were also arrested yesterday. They have both been released on bail following interviews.

The operation was supported by Border Force, Avon and Somerset Police, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit and HMRC.

Anthony Hubbard, operations manager for the NCA said: "This operation will have a significant impact on the supply of illegal drugs in the Bristol area.

"It is a superb example of what we achieve through collaboration, working with law enforcement partners to disrupt criminal activity and protect the UK’s border security.

“We share a determination to bear down on criminal exploitation of our ports and yesterday’s operation demonstrates that in action, and I want to thank those partners who worked with us. Our investigation continues.”

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