BORDER Force officials found nearly a tonne of cocaine worth £76m hidden in a shipment of bananas.
The haul was seized in Southampton after a ship, which had been loaded in Colombia was searched as part of routine inspection.
Packages of the Class A drug were found in the fruit boxes, and weighed 946 kgs.
It was due to head to Antwerp in Belgium after the stop in England.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “This was drug smuggling on an industrial scale so I’m delighted that Border Force officers have prevented such a large quantity of dangerous goods from reaching our streets.
“Drugs devastate communities, line the pockets of serious criminals, and are a serious driver of the violence which ruin young lives right across the country.
“We are sending a strong signal to criminals in the UK and abroad seeking to smuggle drugs into or through the UK: your efforts will fail and we will use every part of our law enforcement powers to stop drugs from coming into the UK.”
Border Force officials singled out the shipment after detecting “anomalies” in the cargo.
Regional Director for Border Force South, Tim Kingsberry said:“This significant seizure has removed a large amount of dangerous drugs from the streets, which not only reduces the significant harm they cause to communities but also makes a huge dent in the profits of smugglers.”
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