Four men were arrested in a series of raids after £140m of cocaine was found in a shipping container.
The four men were detained in a series of coordinated raids this morning, Tuesday, November 29 following the discovery of cocaine earlier this year. In August this year Border Force officers discovered a container at the Port of Felixstowe, Suffolk containing a huge haul of class A drugs in 20 kilo sacks.
The discovery sparked a major National Crime Agency investigation (NCA). Two of the suspects, aged 67 and 48, are from Chorley, Lancashire. A 39-year-old was arrested in Bolton and a fourth is a 40-year-old from Derby.
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They were all arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to import cocaine and remain in custody awaiting interview. NCA officers conducted searches of their home and a number of business premises in Derby, Chorley and Standish, near Wigan.
Richie Davies NCA Branch Commander said: "This is a massive haul of cocaine with an estimated street value of £140m, the NCA has been working intensely to identify and pursue those responsible. There’s no doubt these drugs would have been sold on into communities across the UK in such ways as County Lines fuelling further crime and misery.
"Organised crime groups are motivated by money and the deprivation of these drugs knocks a hole in the OCG’s plans and ability to operate. We continue to work with partners such as Border Force in our mission to protect the public from the Class A drugs threat."
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