Tonne of cocaine shipped from Panama and valued at £80m seized by UK Border Force
Border Force officers seized nearly a tonne of cocaine with an estimated street value of £80 million during a major operation at the port of Essex.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) launched an investigation following the discovery at London Gateway port on Friday.
The illegal shipment was found packed in several sacks inside a shipping container from Panama.
Authorities said the container, which also contained a legitimate capful of ceramics and kitchenware, would be sent to Norway.
NCA officers believe the haul would have been worth around £80 million if it had been cut up and sold on the streets of the UK.
NCA senior investigating officer Paul Orchard said: “This was an extraordinary seizure by our Border Force colleagues and removing this quantity of cocaine from circulation would deprive the organized criminals involved of millions in profits.
“At this point, we do not believe the final destination of this shipment is the United Kingdom, but we are working with international partners to determine the route and target those involved. These investigations are ongoing.”
Earlier this month, police said they had seized an “unusual” collection of items, including a gold bar, a gold bag and even gold teeth, during a week-long operation targeting drug gangs that led to the arrest of more than 2,000 people.
The fact that approximately 10 percent of those detained are children, some as young as 14 years old, draws attention to the exploitation of these criminal networks.
Officers also shut down 335 “drug lines” suspected of distributing heroin, cocaine and spiced e-cigarettes in various towns and cities, the National Police Chiefs’ Council reported.
These county lines gangs are known for exploiting vulnerable adults and children by using special phone lines to facilitate the transportation and sale of illegal drugs.
Police seizures of cocaine reached a record high last year, with 23,706 seizures by March 2025; This figure increased by 13 percent compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, Border Force and police forces seized drugs in a record-breaking 269,000 incidents, an increase of 24 per cent on the previous year.
