Cocaine hidden among masks

BRITISH customs officers have seized 14kg of cocaine worth more than £1 million (R23.2m) that smugglers had hidden in a consignment of face masks in the UK customs zone of the Channel Tunnel.

The cocaine, wrapped in 15 packages, was found in boxes full of face masks when a Polish-registered van bound for Britain was searched, the interior ministry said.

A 34-year-old Polish man has been arrested.

“This seizure is further evidence of the way criminal networks are attempting to exploit the coronavirus outbreak to their own ends,” said Darren Herbert, the National Crime Agency’s operations manager for the port of Dover.

“We are now investigating who was behind this attempt, but what is clear is they have taken a substantial hit.

“At UK street prices, this haul might have raised more than £1 million

once adulterated and cut down – profit they have now been denied.”