Smugglers slip up as ‘Britain’s FBI’ seize six tonnes of cocaine hidden in banana crates worth £450 million in the UK’s biggest-ever Class A drugs bust

Police have seized almost six tonnes of cocaine hidden in crates of bananas in Britain’s biggest-ever class A drugs bust.

Agents from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Border Force seized 5.7 tonnes of cocaine worth £450million after it was found in a container at Southampton Port.

The NCA said the blocks of the illicit drugs had been heading to the Port of Hamburg in Germany for onward delivery before they were discovered on February 8.

A spokesman said the agency was working with European partners to identify the criminal networks behind the smuggling.

The previous largest seizures in Britain were 3.7 tonnes of cocaine, also found at Southampton in 2022, and 3.2 tonnes discovered on board the tug boat MV Hamal in Scotland in 2015.

Agents from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Border Force seized 5.7 tonnes of cocaine worth £450million after it was found in a container at Southampton Port

The NCA said the blocks of the illicit drugs had been heading to the Port of Hamburg in Germany for onward delivery

The MV haul had been valued at £512million, however, because of the high street value of cocaine in Scotland at the time.

Criminal gangs are believed to be making £4bn a year in Britain alone, the NCA estimates.

Trafficking the highly addictive drug is closely linked to serious violence throughout the supply chain, fuelling firearms and knife crime in the UK.

And the trade has seen an exponential rise in associated violence in recent years, the agency said.

NCA director Chris Farrimond said the record-breaking seizure would mark a huge hit to the criminal cartels involved, denying them vast profits.

‘While the destination for the consignment was continental Europe in this case, I have no doubt that a significant proportion would have ended up back here in the UK, being peddled by UK criminal gangs,’ he added.

The MV haul had been valued at £512million, however, because of the high street value of cocaine in Scotland at the time

A spokesman said the agency was working with European partners to identify the criminal networks behind the smuggling

‘The NCA is targeting international networks upstream and overseas, disrupting and dismantling them at every step. International law enforcement co-operation is essential to this mission.’ 

Minister for legal migration and the border, Tom Pursglove, said the seizure sent a clear message to drug smugglers that they would be caught.

‘Our Border Force officers continue to work relentlessly to protect our borders and ensure the safety and security of the public,’ he added.