Almost three tonnes of cocaine worth more than £200m was found hidden in banana boxes at a port in Essex last Thursday (August 6). The National Crime Agency said the shipment, weighing 2.9 tonnes, was seized by Border Force officers at London Gateway Port in Essex. The massive haul, with an estimated street value of £232 million, was hidden in a shipment of bananas hailing from South America.
Arrests and Investigation
Nine men were arrested in connection with the incident and were later released on bail.
Dave Phillips, NCA senior investigating officer, said: “This is a very significant seizure which has deprived the organised crime group behind it of huge profits. That is money that cannot be ploughed back into further crime. Class A drugs wreck lives, they are toxic and can devastate our communities. The NCA will continue to combat the threat of class A drugs with partners at home, such as Border Force, and further upstream in source and transit countries.”
Context of Seizures
In October 2025, the Home Office said more than £1 billion of the drug had been intercepted in a “record-breaking” summer. Between June 1 and August 31 last year, Border Force officers confiscated 15.6 tonnes of the substance, the department said.
It followed what is believed to have been the biggest ever seizure of Class A drugs in the UK. In February 2024, the NCA and Border Force found almost six tonnes of cocaine in a container at Southampton Port, hidden in a cargo of bananas from South America.
