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A handout picture released by the National Crime Agency (NCA) on 22 February 2024 shows packages of cocaine seized at the harbour of Southampton, southern England, announced the Organised Crime Agency (NCA). On 8 February 2024, British police made a record seizure of 5.7 tonnes of cocaine in a container in the port of Southampton. The cocaine, with a street value of more than £450 million according to UK market prices, was concealed in a cargo of bananas from South America. NCA investigators believe that the final destination of the goods was the German port of Hamburg.
Handout / National Crime Agency / AFP
British
authorities said on Friday they had seized 5.7 tons of cocaine from a port in
southern England, in what is believed to be the biggest ever seizure of Class A
drugs in the UK.
The
haul, worth an estimated 450 million pounds ($570 million) based on UK street
prices, was discovered on 8 February at Southampton Port, hidden in a container
within a shipment of bananas from South America.
The
National Crime Agency (NCA) said it believes the shipment was headed for the
Port of Hamburg in Germany and that it was in touch with international agencies
across Europe to identify the criminal networks involved.
In a statement, 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.
Criminal
gangs are estimated to be making around 4 billion pounds a year in the UK alone
from a cocaine market closely linked to serious violence throughout its supply
chain, including firearms and knife crime, the NCA said.
The
previous largest UK seizure was 3.7 tons of cocaine, also at Southampton, in
2022.
($1
= 0.7898 pounds)
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