A huge arrest of five men happened at a small airport in England. They smuggled in $71 million worth of cocaine from Columbia. It was 1,100 pounds.
A private jet carried the drugs from Columbia to Hampshire, England. U.K. Border Force officers uncovered what is believed to be one of the largest seizures in history, according to the Independent.
Per Fox News:
After questioning the people on board, the officers became suspicious and searched the aircraft, where they found the drugs hidden in 15 suitcases.
“When opened, each case was found to contain between 34 to 37 tape-wrapped packages weighing approximately one kilo each. One of these was pierced and a white powder exposed which tested positive for cocaine,” Border Force deputy chief operating officer Mike Stepney told the Independent.
Of the five men arrested, two were British brothers, along with a Spanish and Italian national, according to The Sun. Border Force officers questioned the airplane crew as well, who were released without being charged.
NCA operations manager Siobhan Micklethwaite told the Independent: “This is a major seizure of cocaine, one of the largest flown into the UK by plane in many years, and this seizure by Border Force represents a major blow to organized crime. We estimate that once cut and sold on the streets in the U.K. it would have had a potential value in excess of £50m (about $71m).”
A spokesperson for the Farnborough Airport told The Sun this was a matter for the authorities and they "do not comment on individual aircraft and passengers."
What an insane arrest. Wonder how much prison time this will result in? Might need to get an expert in U.K. law to see what kind of trouble $71 million worth of cocaine results in.
Border Force have seized 500kg of cocaine, estimated to be worth over £50m, in what is believed to be one of the largest seizures of its kind in the UK: https://t.co/BWDCwziuix pic.twitter.com/ZXHeywYbS5
— Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) January 30, 2018
Cocaine worth an estimated £50m was brought into the UK on this private jet. The drugs were seized by @ukhomeoffice Border Force staff and the NCA are now investigating. Five people arrested. https://t.co/uXV4RbSwKd pic.twitter.com/QUHQhoqEN1
— NationalCrimeAgency (@NCA_UK) January 30, 2018
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