Cocaine worth £5m seized on cargo ship

COCAINE worth £5m has been seized at Immingham Docks.

About 45 kilos - nearly 100lbs - of the drug were discovered on a cargo ship by a specialist deep rummage team from UK Border Force at 6am yesterday.

The vessel, which was carrying a consignment of coal, had travelled to the UK from Puerto Prodeco, Columbia, via Holland, and docked on Monday.

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Officials declined to say whether the discovery was the result of a routine search or an intelligence-led operation. No arrests have been made and the drugs, which are 90 per cent pure, will now be destroyed.

Sam Bullimore, a member of Border Force, said: “This is a major seizure of a Class A drug and will put a big dent in the profits of the criminal gang behind this smuggling attempt. Cocaine is an evil drug, which ruins the lives of users and of the wider community.

“We work closely with partner law enforcement agencies both in the UK and overseas in the fight against drug smuggling. Our officers work round the clock, using the latest technology, sniffer dogs and their own expertise to stay one step ahead of those involved in the illegal drugs trade.”

In June, cocaine with a street value of £1m was seized at Immingham on another ship from Colombia. A record seizure of £300m of cocaine was made at Southampton last year.