Seven soldiers charged over pounds 2.5m heroin haul

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Seven soldiers have been arrested and charged with allegedly smuggling pounds 2.5m of drugs. The arrests came after the discovery of 8kg of heroin being imported from Europe, making the incident the British Army's biggest drugs scandal.

The soldiers come from 39 Regiment Royal Artillery, based in Ouston, Northumberland. The haul was unearthed after Customs and Excise officers arrested two soldiers on the French side of the Channel Tunnel in June, the Ministry of Defence confirmed. They will appear before Dover magistrates today; five more soldiers, arrested in Ouston, go before magistrates in St Helens, Lancashire, on Friday, charged with conspiracy to smuggle drugs.