Record-breaking £139m cannabis haul seized by police as three arrested
1,200 boxes of cannabis were found crammed into two shipping containers in transit from Canada to Southampton
Three people have been arrested after a record-breaking seizure of a cannabis shipment worth £139 million.
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Some 1,200 boxes of cannabis were found crammed into two shipping containers from Canada destined for Southampton.
The investigation was launched after Canadian border officials intercepted a cannabis shipment destined for the UK.
Investigators then identified two containers suspected to contain cannabis which were on their way to Southampton Port.
The 12-tonne shipment, which had arrived from Canada, was intercepted on May 6, the Home Office said.
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It marks the largest ever Border Force cannabis seizure, at four tonnes more than the previous largest seizure in 2017.
Two men and one woman from South Wales were arrested on June 16 on suspicion of facilitating the importations and are currently in police custody.
Inspector Stuart Cumine of SWROCU said: “This was clearly a significant seizure, which has not only taken a huge amount of drugs out of circulation, but has deprived the criminal gangs organising the importations of enormous profits totalling millions of pounds.
"While cannabis can commonly be perceived as a low-level threat, people need to understand that the criminals importing and supplying it are using the substantial profits to fund other criminality.
"Operations like this, working with partners on a national and international level, disrupt these criminal networks, deprive them of funds, and protect communities across the UK from the harm that drug supply and other organised criminality causes.”
Migration minister Mike Tapp said: “Congratulations to our brilliant Border Force officers for this record-breaking haul.
“We will not allow criminal gangs to profit from misery and peddle their vile trade.
“More than ever before, we are working with policing and international partners to secure our borders and keep our streets safe.”