More than 28 tonnes of cocaine was seized last year in a record haul for Border Force and police.
The quantity of the class A drug detained rose by 52 per cent from the previous year to the highest since records began.
The largest ever single seizure of class A drugs in the UK took place in February when 5.7 tonnes of cocaine was found in a container at Southampton Port hidden in a cargo of bananas from South America.
This single haul is estimated to be worth more than £450million.
The domestic cocaine market is dominated by criminal gangs who the National Crime Agency believe to be making around £4 billion a year in the UK alone.
More than 119 tonnes of illegal drugs with a street value of £3bn were seized in the year ending March 2024, the Home Office said.
There were 217,644 seizures in England and Wales during this period, a 13 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
Border Force, which was responsible for 40,639 drug seizures, captured a record 74 tonnes of herbal cannabis, a 58 per cent increase on the previous year.
More than 28 tonnes of cocaine was seized last year in a record haul for Border Force and police
The quantity of the class A drug detained rose by 52 per cent from the previous year
Around half of murders are linked to drugs, analysis indicates
Around half of murders are linked to drugs, analysis indicates, with cocaine consumption in Britain at record highs.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra, who yesterday visited Border Force officers at Stansted Airport, said the statistics sent a clear message to criminal gangs.
‘They will be caught and face the full force of the law if they try to smuggle drugs into our country,’ she added.
