LONDON, UK: British police Friday said they had made what is believed to be the biggest seizure of serious drugs to date.
The National Crime Agency said 5.7 tons (5,700 kg) of cocaine were found in a container in the port of Southampton on the south coast of England on February 8.
The drug was discovered hidden in a shipment of bananas that had been transported from South America, the agency said in a statement.
It had an estimated value of 450 million pounds ($568 million) based on UK street prices, the NCA added.
Police believe the drugs were headed to Hamburg, Germany “for further delivery,” the statement said.
“This record seizure will be a huge blow to the international organized crime cartels involved and deny them huge profits,” said NCA director Chris Farrimond.
The previous largest drug seizure in the UK was 3.7 tonnes of cocaine found in Southampton in 2022.
The NCA estimates that criminal gangs make around £4bn a year from the UK’s illegal cocaine market.
