DOVER, UK – Last week, Border Force officers seized approximately 40 kilos of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment on a cargo ship in Dover.
Kent News reports that officers from Border Force’s Felixstowe-based National Deep Rummage Team searched the MV Esmeralda and discovered the drugs in the hold.
Paul Morgan, Director of Border Force South East and Europe said, “This seizure has prevented a large amount of cocaine from reaching the streets of Europe. Border Force officers use a variety of methods and technology to prevent class A drugs entering the UK, and their expertise is regularly demonstrated by seizures like this.”
The ship was en route to Rotterdam from South America and was loaded with bananas. Kent News reports that no arrests were made, and the ship was allowed to continue its journey after the drugs were removed.
“Working with the NCA and other agencies we are determined to bring to justice those involved in this illicit trade – from the individual smugglers up to the organized criminals at the top of the tree,” Morgan added.
The drugs would have had a potential value of millions of pounds on the street.
