The men, aged 54 and 38, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to import class A drugs in Southend, Essex, around 6pm on Thursday, following an NCA operation assisted by Border Force, the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, Essex Police, and Kent Police.
It comes after the discovery of approximately 100 kilos of cocaine in two containers shipped from Costa Rica to the London Gateway container port in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex.
We know that organised crime groups frequently rely on the knowledge and access of trusted insiders at ports and airports to bring in their illicit commodities,” said NCA Regional Head of Investigations Jacque Beer. It is a threat that we are aware of and are treating as a priority.” We are determined to do everything possible, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners and port operators, to disrupt criminal activity and protect the UK’s border security.” Yesterday’s operation demonstrated this in action, and I’d like to thank all of our collaborators. Our investigation is ongoing.