Five tonnes of cocaine worth $540 million seized at UK port

British border officials seized approximately five tonnes of cocaine, valued at around £400 million $540 million, at London Gateway port during February and March. The largest single seizure involved almost 2,800 packets, weighing about three tonnes, hidden within a banana shipment. The Home Office stated that smugglers went to great lengths to conceal the drugs by replicating the shape and weight of banana boxes. Additionally, one tonne of cocaine, valued at £80 million, was discovered last month in a shipping container transporting South American wine. The Home Office also reported that the Border Force seized nearly 150 tonnes of illegal drugs in the year ending in March.