The National Crime Agency (NCA) said officers seized more than half a tonne of class A drugs on a boat traveling from Colombia at London Gateway on the Essex coast in south-east England. Investigators intercepted the shipment, which was bound for the Netherlands, on Tuesday. Hundreds of huge slabs of cocaine were found wedged next to bananas in cardboard boxes. The NCA said the cargo would have a value in the UK of more than £40m once broken up and sold. NCA branch operations manager Adam Berry described the discovery as a “massive blow” to hawkers. Image: Pic: NCA Image: Pic: NCA He said: “The removal of a batch of this size would be a massive blow to the criminal network involved in this operation, preventing them from making millions of pounds which would have been invested in further crime. “Class A drugs are trafficked by gangs involved in violence and exploitation in our communities. Read more: Sweet cannabis warning after woman dies in drug smuggling tunnel from Mexico to US in London, authorities find “The NCA works hard with partners to stop drugs getting this far and seizures like this demonstrate how we can break this link between international drug cartels and street level dealers.”
