LONDON: Cannabis with a potential street value likely to be in excess of £1.5m has been seized by Border Force officers at London Gateway.
Officers discovered the 580kgs of herbal cannabis following a search of a container that had arrived at the port from Jamaica.
The majority of the container was filled with boxes of cakes, buns and tins of callaloo.
Border Force Assistant Director for London Gateway Mark Kennedy said:
“In amongst the load were 55 boxes of what appeared to be further tins of callaloo and ackee. It was only when the tins were opened that their true contents were revealed.
“By making this seizure, worth an estimated £1.5m, Border Force officers have prevented a substantial quantity of illegal drugs from ending up on the streets of the UK and put a serious dent in the profits of the criminals involved in this type of smuggling.”
Following the seizure on 29 June by Border Force, the investigation was passed to the National Crime Agency.
Border Force officers are the front line in protecting the country and play a key role in detecting illegal immigration, disrupting serious and organised crime and helping to prevent the threat of terrorism. Border Force also protects the UK’s revenue, contributing to the nation’s prosperity and growth.
They use an array of search techniques including sniffer dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners – as well as visual searches – to find well-hidden stowaways, illegal drugs, firearms and tobacco which would otherwise end up causing harm to local people, businesses and communities.
