Border Force officers have intercepted an almost 3-tonne shipment of cocaine worth £232 million, hidden in banana boxes at a UK port. The drugs were discovered last Thursday at London Gateway Port in Essex, concealed among bananas imported from South America. Nine men were arrested in connection with the seizure and have since been released on bail.
Significant Seizure Disrupts Organised Crime
Dave Phillips, a senior investigating officer at the National Crime Agency (NCA), highlighted the impact of the operation. He 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.”
Phillips also emphasised the ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking, stating: “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.”
Previous Record-Breaking Seizures
This incident follows a series of major drug busts in the UK. In February 2024, the NCA and Border Force made what is believed to be the biggest seizure of class A drugs in the country, finding almost six tonnes of cocaine in a container at Southampton Port, also hidden in a cargo of bananas from South America.
In October 2025, the Home Office reported that more than £1 billion worth of the drug had been intercepted during a “record-breaking” summer, indicating a sustained crackdown on drug trafficking.
Creative Concealment Methods
Traffickers have become increasingly inventive in hiding drugs within shipments. In 2022, officials at the US-Mexico border discovered a massive shipment of cocaine disguised as baby wipes. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents seized the shipment as a driver attempted to cross the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity Bridge in Texas. After CBP canines inspected the cargo, they uncovered the drugs hidden inside packages of baby wipes, with a total of 1,935 packages containing 1,532.6 pounds of cocaine.
The latest seizure at London Gateway Port underscores the ongoing challenge faced by law enforcement in detecting such concealment methods. The NCA and Border Force continue to work with international partners to disrupt drug supply chains and bring those responsible to justice.
