Four men have been arrested following the interception of a fishing boat carrying a huge 400kg haul of cocaine off the Kent coast.
Border Force officers successfully stopped the vessel on Sunday morning, uncovering the significant class A drug shipment.
The three men aboard the vessel, aged 64, 45, and 25, were arrested on suspicion of importing class A drugs.
They have been taken into custody to be questioned by National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators. A fourth suspect, aged 36, was arrested in Rainham, East London, as part of the ongoing operation.
Jules Harriman, NCA operations manager, stated that the seizure represents a major blow to the organised crime group behind the operation.
He commended the successful partnership between Border Force and the Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC) for preventing the harmful drug shipment from reaching the UK market.
Danny Hewitt, Director of Border Force National Operational HQ, called the cocaine seizure a “significant operation,” adding that Border Force and the NCA are working tirelessly to stop dangerous drugs from entering UK communities.
“We continue to work tirelessly to protect our borders and keep the public safe,” Hewitt said.
The investigation continues as authorities work to uncover the full scale of the drug trafficking network involved in this major cocaine importation attempt.
