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Cocaine worth £80m shipped with kitchenware seized at UK port
The cocaine was hidden with ceramics in a container from Panama, intended for Norway; UK cocaine seizures rose 13% to 23,706 in the year to March 2025, officials said.
- Border Force officers seized one tonne of cocaine valued at an estimated £80 million at London Gateway Port in Essex on Friday. The National Crime Agency launched an investigation following the discovery.
- The drugs were concealed inside holdalls within a container shipped from Panama that also held a 'cover load' of ceramics and kitchenware. Officials said the shipment was destined for Norway.
- NCA senior investigating officer Paul Orchard described the discovery as a "fantastic" seizure, stating that "taking this amount of cocaine out of circulation will have deprived the criminals involved of millions in profits."
- Border Force and Police recorded 269,000 drug interceptions during the same period, marking a 24% increase year-on-year. This seizure coincides with record-breaking enforcement activity across the UK.
- Earlier this month, Police targeted drug gangs in a week-long operation yielding over 2,000 arrests. Officers also closed 335 "drug lines" suspected of distributing heroin, cocaine, and spice-laced vapes across UK towns and cities.
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Total News Sources7
Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Center
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
L 33%
C 67%
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