Shipment of bananas contained Britain’s biggest cocaine haul with 5.7 tons seized
THE largest-ever haul of class A drugs in the UK, worth an estimated £450 million, has been seized from a container of bananas at Southampton Port.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) and Border Force seized 5.7 tons of cocaine found in a crate carrying the fruit from South America on Feb 8.
It said the illicit drugs were heading to the Port of Hamburg in Germany for onward delivery.
An NCA spokesman said: “Enquiries are ongoing with international partners across Europe with a view to identifying the criminal networks involved.
“Based on UK street-level prices the cocaine would likely have had an estimated value in excess of £450 million.”
The previous largest UK seizure was 3.7 tons of cocaine, also found at Southampton, in 2022.
About 3.2 tons was found on board the tug boat MV Hamal in Scotland in 2015.
The NCA spokesman explained that the MV Hamal haul was estimated at a higher value than the recent Southampton shipment – amounting to some £512 million – because of a difference in cocaine prices experienced in Scotland at that time.
Chris Farrimond, the NCA director, said: “This record-breaking seizure will represent a huge hit to the international organised crime cartels involved, denying them massive profits. The work of the NCA was crucial to making it happen.
“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.”
Tom Pursglove, the immigration minister, thanked the Border Force and NCA for their work.
He added: “This seizure sends a clear message to criminals that they will be caught. Our Border Force officers continue to work relentlessly to protect our borders and ensure the safety and security of the public.”
The NCA added that the domestic cocaine market was dominated by criminal gangs which were believed to be making around £4billion a year in the UK market alone.
“Cocaine trafficking is closely linked to serious violence throughout the supply chain, including firearms and knife crime in the UK. The cocaine trade has seen an exponential rise in associated violence in the past few years,” a spokesman added.