U.K Seizes 2.4 Tonnes of Cocaine Worth $132 Million From A Ship Arriving From Panama

The U.K.’s border authorities have confiscated cocaine worth $132 million from a ship that came from Panama.

The haul of 2.4 tonnes of the drug seized at the London Gateway Port close to the capital was one of the biggest of its kind, said Border Force Maritime director Charlie Eastaugh.

The drug was found under the containers on the ship and is said to be the 6th largest cocaine seizure.

Specialist officers had found the shipment earlier this month after they carried out an intelligence-led operation and moved 37 containers to get at the stash.

The U.K is one of the largest European markets for cocaine, per the National Crime Agency. The U.K Government says that the cocaine linked deaths in Wales and England increased by 31% between 2022 and 2023.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) annual World Drug Report stated that cocaine was the world’s fastest-growing illegal drug market.

The production of the drug in Colombia has soared as the demand for it has increased rapidly in Europe and South America.

The number of cocaine users in the world has kept increasing, reaching 25 million people in 2023, up from 17 million a decade ago.

Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra said that drug gangs try to import illegal substances into the U.K and cause death, misery and addiction to the youth.

References: Al Jazeera, World Cargo News

Source: Maritime Shipping News