More than one tonne of cocaine found hidden in shipment of banana pulp in Essex

Cocaine seized
Cocaine worth £100m was seized
PA
Luke O'Reilly6 December 2020
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More than a tonne of cocaine, worth £100 million, has been found hidden in a shipment of banana pulp.

The 1,060 kilograms of concealed cocaine were discovered hidden in a shipping container as part of routine inspections by Border Force at the London Gateway depot in Essex last month.

The drugs are thought to have been put in the cargo in Columbia and intended to arrive in Antwerp, Belgium.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Drugs fuel criminality and destroy lives.

“Class A drugs such as cocaine inflict unimaginable damage on to our citizens and communities, shattering lives and stoking obscene levels of violence, disorder and crime.

“This significant seizure of drugs sends a stark message to criminals in the UK and abroad seeking to smuggle drugs into or through the UK: you will not succeed and we will use every inch of our law enforcement powers to track down and stop drugs from coming into the UK.”

Cocaine seized
It is the second largest shipment found in Essex in two months
PA

The discovery on November 12 marks the second-largest shipment of cocaine to be discovered at the Essex port in the space of two months.

In September, Border Force National Deep Rummage Team officers discovered 1,155 kilograms of cocaine in a shipment of paper also bound for Antwerp.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) is investigating the discoveries to identify those involved, though the two shipments are not believed to be linked.

NCA branch commander Jacque Beer said: “These were substantial seizures and will represent a significant hit to the organised crime groups involved, meaning less profit for them to reinvest.

“While the UK wasn’t the end destination for either shipment, it is likely that at least a proportion would have ended up being sold on our streets.

“The NCA is working with law enforcement partners in the UK, in Europe and worldwide to target the criminal networks behind drug trafficking and disrupt their activities.”

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