Published 8 hours ago • loading... • Updated 8 hours ago
Drugs worth more than £160m seized at British port
Border Force said the four seizures included 960kg of cocaine and a cannabis haul, as officials step up action against smuggling networks.
Border Force seized more than £160 million worth of cocaine and cannabis at Southampton Port over the course of a month, disrupting major illicit supply routes.
Officers uncovered four separate shipments hidden within commercial goods, including pallets of bananas and hardwood flooring, revealing sophisticated smuggling tactics.
On June 28, officers seized 477kg and 530kg of cocaine worth £38 million and £47 million respectively; July 10 brought a 960kg haul worth £76 million, plus 290kg of cannabis valued at £1.2 million.
Home Office minister Jo White said Border Force is "one step ahead of these vile criminal gangs," while Lyn Sari, head of Border Force South Region, called every seizure "a setback for organised crime."
In the year ending March 2025, Border Force seized 150 tonnes of illegal drugs worth £2.6 billion—a 40% increase on the previous year and the highest figure since records began.