The cargo has an estimated value in excess of £450 million (Picture: NCA)
A cocaine haul – so large that it could supply every man, woman and child in Britain twice – has been seized at Southampton Port.
As many as 114 million lines of the Class A drug were found among bananas in a container from South America.
The seizure of the 5.7 tonnes – the biggest ever in the country – is a major hit to crime cartels.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) and Border Force made the bust on February 8 before the cargo reached the Port of Hamburg in Germany for onward delivery.
‘Inquiries are ongoing with international partners across Europe with a view to identifying the criminal networks involved,’ a spokesperson for the NCA said.
‘Based on UK street-level prices the cocaine would likely have had an estimated value in excess of £450 million.’
The haul of 5.7 tonnes of cocaine was found in a container at Southampton Port (Picture: NCA)
The boxes lined up after seizure (Picture: NCA)
The previous largest seizure was 3.7 tonnes of cocaine, also in Southampton, in 2022.
Another 3.2 tonnes were found on board the tug boat MV Hamal in Scotland in 2015.
The NCA spokesperson explained that the MV Hamal haul was estimated at a value of £512 million because of a difference in cocaine prices experienced in Scotland at that time.
NCA director Chris Farrimond said: ‘This record-breaking seizure will represent a huge hit to the international organised crime cartels involved, denying them massive profits.
The drugs were heading to Hamburg in Germany (Picture: NCA/UNPIXS)
‘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.
‘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.
‘Working closely with UK partners like Border Force, we are determined to do all we can to protect the UK public.’
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