Police seize record-breaking £184 million of cocaine in banana boxes in Tottenham

Police have seized a record-breaking quantity of cocaine in banana containers in Tottenham.

A complete of 10 males aged 21 to 56 have been arrested in North London in relation to the seizure of roughly £184 million value of cocaine imported to the UK in a consignment of bananas.

The seizure was a part of an investigation led by the joint Nationwide Crime Company and Metropolitan Police Service’s Organised Crime Partnership (OCP).

OCP officers detained the boys at two addresses in North London after taking supply of 41 pallets into which the two.3 tonnes of cocaine had been loaded yesterday (Thursday, February 18).

The medicine had already been eliminated by Border Pressure officers at Portsmouth Worldwide Port on Sunday (February 14).

The container arrived on a cargo ship from Colombia the day earlier than, and was masquerading as a reliable consignment of bananas.

The cocaine had been disguised as bananas and despatched over from Colombia

The pallets had been delivered to an industrial property the place OCP officers – supported by armed items from the NCA and the Met Police – moved in to arrest the 5 recipients.

The opposite 5 males had been arrested at a distinct industrial property in Enfield.

All 10 males stay in custody and three have since been charged with the importation of sophistication A medicine.

0 Drugs in lorry

Baggage of cocaine had been discovered behind a lorry

John Coles, Head of Specialist Operations on the NCA, mentioned: “The numbers right here communicate for themselves; this can be a huge seizure which has denied organised criminals a whole lot of hundreds of thousands in income, and is the results of a focused investigation carried out collectively by the NCA and Met Police.

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“The NCA is targeted on disrupting the organised crime teams posing probably the most important threat to the UK, which incorporates these concerned in school A drug provide.

“Unlawful medicine are a corrosive risk and those that deal in cocaine are sometimes violent and exploitative. Cocaine provide is immediately linked to using firearms, knife crime and the exploitation of younger and susceptible folks.

0 Cocaine from one pallet

Half of the cocaine was present in one pallet

“We work carefully with home and worldwide companions to focus on these on the prime of the chain and be sure that transnational drug networks are met with a worldwide response.

“Border Pressure is a key accomplice and had been very important in stopping these medicine from being efficiently trafficked into the nation.

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Detective Superintendent Simon Moring from the Metropolitan Police Service mentioned: “This operation is a good instance of partnership working between the Met, NCA and Border Pressure, which resulted in one of many UK’s largest ever seizures of cocaine – round 2.3 tonnes.

“This important seizure signifies that these harmful medicine can not attain the streets of London and past, the place they’ve the potential to trigger nice hurt to folks and communities.

“While these operations are complicated and useful resource intensive, they’re very important to disrupt organised felony networks and to make sure we maintain our communities secure.

“We all know there’s an inextricable hyperlink between medicine and violence – that’s the reason tackling the importation and provide of medication is a vital a part of our work to cut back violent crime in London.”

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