Two men have been arrested in Leicestershire after the discovery of a £120 million cocaine haul hidden in sacks of charcoal. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said around 1.6 tonnes of cocaine were found on June 8 when Border Force officers searched a container carrying 800 sacks of charcoal.
It was on ship, travelling from Panama, that had arrived into London Gateway. Officers from the NCA’s Armed Operations Unit, along with armed units from Leicestershire Police, carried out a controlled delivery and raided two farm properties in Whitwick, Coalville, and Shepshed, on Thursday.
Suspects, including a 50-year-old from Coalville and a 31-year-old from Nottingham, were arrested at a location in Coalville town centre. They are being questioned on suspicion of importing class A drugs. Forensic examinations are being carried out on two self-loading pistols and a self-loading rifle which were recovered at an address in Coalville, according to the NCA who said that searches are still being carried out.
