The National Crime Agency (NCA) said that on August 6, officers intercepted a 2.9 tonne consignment of cocaine that was hidden in a load of bananas, among the largest seizures in recent months. The drugs, which are estimated to have a street value of $313 million, originated from the banana-producing, cocaine-trafficking regions of South America. Nine men were arrested as part of the investigation.   Although authorities did not reveal the identity of the vessel, they said that NCA intelligence led to the seizure at the London Gateway port that in recent months has been used as an entry point by South American drug cartels targeting the lucrative UK market. The drugs were removed and the container allowed to be collected.

“This is a very significant seizure which has deprived the organized crime group behind it of huge profits. That is money that cannot be ploughed back into further crime,” said Dave Phillips, NCA senior investigating officer.

The London Gateway port is implementing an ambitious plan to become Britain’s most important container port, and saw container throughput surge by 52 percent last year to 3 million TEU from 1.9 million TEU recorded in 2024.

Drug cartels are taking advantage of the growth to use the facility for drug trafficking into the UK. In March, law enforcement officers seized around one tonne of cocaine hidden in a container originating from Panama with a street value of $107 million. In June last year, officers seized 2.4 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of $133 million at the port.

Government statistics show that the UK remains a lucrative market for cocaine smugglers, with people in England consuming 123,000 kilograms of cocaine annually, equating to a $13.2 billion market value.      “Class A drugs wreck lives, they are toxic and can devastate our communities,” said Phillips, adding that the NCA is determined to continue combating the threat of cocaine with domestic partners like the Border Force as well as international partners across source and transit countries.