Border Force officers use 'nous' to uncover £72million of cocaine hidden in machinery
Investigators recovered one tonne of the Class A drug from two generators which had arrived at London Gateway, near Thurrock in Essex, from an undisclosed location in South America.
Experienced Border Force officers discovered £72 million worth of cocaine after using their "nous" to cut open a delivery of industrial equipment at a British port.
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Investigators recovered one tonne of the Class A drug from two generators which had arrived at London Gateway, near Thurrock in Essex, from an undisclosed location in South America.
Officers were immediately suspicious of the machinery - valued at £700,000 - and sent for an angle grinder to cut it into pieces, despite the risk of facing a huge compensation bill if nothing was found.
But the gamble paid off as they uncovered a massive supply of white powder which will "strike a significant blow against the criminal networks”, a Home Office spokesman said.
"The seizure shows how organised crime groups are using ever-more sophisticated methods to evade detection," the spokesman added.
"Smugglers would have known Border Force faced paying out hundreds of thousands of pounds had they damaged the combined 40 tonnes of equipment without detecting anything."
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Home Office minister Mike Tapp said: "Vile drug smugglers thought the threat of a huge damages bill would scare Border Force off intercepting this deadly cocaine haul.
"Our first-class officers were one step ahead, using their experience and nous to cost criminal gangs £72million."
After the drugs were discovered, a National Crime Agency investigation was launched, and a suspect has since been charged.
Regional director Phillip Holiday added: "Border Force officers identified a number of anomalies with the generators, which put in to question their legitimacy and suggested they had been tampered with.
"Due to officers’ expert skills, specialist advice and supportive intelligence we felt confident that the generators would contain cocaine.
"This shows how sophisticated criminal gangs have become, but experienced officers can see through these tactics as they continue to secure our borders and keep our streets safe."