LONDON: A whopping 130 kilos of cocaine and heroin – with a street value of £8million – has been seized at the Eastern Docks in Dover.
The drugs were discovered in the early hours of Friday, December 11, when Border Force officers stopped a Dutch-registered van.
After questioning the driver, Ricardo Augusto Prestes Scerni, 33, officers searched the vehicle discovering the drugs within the load.
Prestes Scerni, a Brazilian national, was arrested and the investigation passed to the National Crime Agency.
He was later charged with the attempted importation and appeared before Dover Magistrates Court on Saturday, December 12, where he withheld his plea.
Prestes Scerni was remanded in custody and will next appear at Canterbury Crown Court on January 4.
Paul Morgan, Director of Border Force South East and Europe, said: “Every year Border Force officers seize Class A drugs worth hundreds of million of pounds. Working with law enforcement colleagues like the NCA we are determined to prevent drug trafficking and put those responsible behind bars.
“This is another example of how our officers have prevented dangerous class A drugs from ending up on the streets of the UK.”
Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling should call the smuggling Hotline on 0800 59 5000.
