The Border Force has seized 12 tonnes of cannabis worth approximately £139 million in what is believed to be the agency's largest ever seizure of the drug.
Around 1,200 boxes of cannabis were found crammed into two shipping containers at Southampton Port which had arrived from Canada, the Home Office said.
Home Office intelligence analysts worked with Canadian officials and UK law enforcement to identify the two containers on their way to Southampton.
The delivery was intercepted on May 6, the Home Office said, and the drugs seized make up the largest ever Border Force cannabis seizure, at four tonnes more than the previous largest seizure in 2017.
Migration minister Mike Tapp said: “Congratulations to our brilliant Border Force officers for this record-breaking haul.
“We will not allow criminal gangs to profit from misery and peddle their vile trade.
“More than ever before, we are working with policing and international partners to secure our borders and keep our streets safe.”
The Home Office said the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit arrested three people on suspicion of facilitating importations on Tuesday.
