Border Force in France seize £20million worth of cocaine within plywood boxes in a lorry carrying consignment of car parts to Britain
- The haul, which had a potential street value of around £20 million, was discovered within a number of plywood boxes in a lorry
- Border Force officers use hi-tech search equipment to combat immigration crime and detect banned and restricted goods
- Anyone with information they suspect may be linked to smuggling should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit www.gov.uk/report-smuggling
Border Force officers in France have seized more than 260 kilos of cocaine in a lorry bound for the UK.
The haul, which had a potential street value of around £20 million, was discovered within a number of plywood boxes in a lorry carrying a consignment of car parts after it was intercepted at Coquelles on Tuesday.
The driver of the lorry, a Romanian national, was arrested on suspicion of importing Class A drugs and the investigation was passed to the National Crime Agency (NCA). The driver was later released under investigation.
Chris Philp, minister for immigration compliance, said: ‘This seizure has taken millions of pounds worth of cocaine out of the hands of organised criminals and off our streets.
More than 260 kilos of cocaine that have been seized by Border Force officers at Coquelles, after an attempt to smuggle it into the UK in a lorry.
‘Drugs are currency for organised gangs and are intrinsically linked to crime, violence and exploitation which is why we will do all we can to stop drug traffickers and bring them to justice.’
NCA Dover branch commander Martin Grace said: ‘We know that international OCGs remain criminally active and despite the restrictions on movement brought about by coronavirus.
‘As a result of joint working between the NCA and our Border Force partners, attempts to smuggle significant quantities of drugs have been thwarted before creating harm to our communities in the UK.’
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.
Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit www.gov.uk/report-smuggling.