Cocaine Worth £6.8m Seized in Portsmouth

Two men have been arrested after Border Force officers seized 68 kilos of cocaine at Portsmouth ferryport.

Officers stopped a lorry which had just arrived off a ferry from Caen around 11.45am on Thursday 18th October.

The drugs were found after the vehicle was searched. The cocaine weighed approximately 68 kilos and is estimated to have had a potential value of approximately £6.8 million if cut and sold on the street in the UK.

It is one of the largest seizures of cocaine made at Portsmouth so far this year.

The men arrested – a 31-year-old from Orpington in Kent and a 43-year-old British man who lives in Spain – have been bailed pending further enquiries until 19 and 20 February 2013 respectively.

Andy Lumb, from Border Force, said:

“As this detection shows, our officers are on constant alert, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to keep drugs, other smuggled goods and illegal persons out of the UK.

“We are determined to prevent this terrible trade which can have such a destructive impact on the lives of so many.”