LONDON: Britain’s biggest ever drugs bust has now seen more than three tonnes of cocaine worth in excess of £500million seized by the Royal Navy after a raid on a ship in the North Sea.
The Tanzanian registered tug boat MV Hamal, manned by a Turkish gang, was intercepted by the Navy and Border Force officials about 100 miles east of the Aberdeenshire coast last week.
Nine Turkish nationals have since been remanded in custody on Monday in connection with alleged drug trafficking offences.
Originally the National Crime Agency (NCA) said that two tonnes had been found, but after further investigation another tonne was uncovered.
If cut and sold in the UK, it would have had a likely potential street value of more than £500 million, depending on purity.
Experts believe it was sourced in South America and loaded onto the boat in the Canary Islands.
