£3m cocaine found in sugar shipment

A haul of cocaine worth £3 million has been seized from a cargo ship carrying raw cane sugar to east London from Brazil.

The drugs were found by officers from the UK Border Force's deep rummage team, which covers commercial shipping arrivals into UK ports.

Officers seized 30 packages of cocaine from the ship's accommodation area while carrying out a routine search of the vessel, which was docked at the Thames Refinery in Silvertown after sailing from south America.

The haul weighed about 66lb (30kg) and is estimated to have a potential street value of approximately £3 million.

Border Force spokesman Dean Milton 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."

Investigations are continuing but nobody has been arrested, the Border Force said.

Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to drug smuggling can call the smuggling hotline on 0800 595000.

PA