Pics: 1.5 tonnes of Cannabis worth £4.3m seized at Heathrow

Thursday, 27 September 2012 - 10:48pm India News Bulletin

The UK Border Force officers have made their biggest seizure of cannabis drugs in more than three years. At Heathrow Airport, the officials discovered about 1.5 tonnes of the drugs with an estimated market nearly £4.5m. Just a day later it also seized 7.5 kilos of cocaine.

UK Border Force seize £4.3m worth cannabis at Heathrow

Image: Flickr (ukhomeoffice)

The drugs were discovered hidden in three separate air freight containers on Monday 24 September, the UK border control agency has said.

The seized cannabis were smuggled in the bulk of containers which arrived from Ghana. The containers were meant to contain only fresh fruits and vegetables.

“This was smuggling on an industrial scale,” said Marc Owen, Heathrow Director of Border Force.

After being seized the cannabis was taken under armed escort to a secure location where it will be stored until it is incinerated.

The containers that were meant to carry only fruit and veg but had 1.5 tonnes of hidden cannabis drugs

Image: Flickr (ukhomeoffice)

“The fact we have stopped it reaching the streets of the UK will make a substantial dent in the profits of the criminals responsible,” Owen added.

The herbal cannabis was compressed and packed into tape-wrapped packages

Image: Flickr (ukhomeoffice)

NEW UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 30:

Just a day after finding 1.5 tonnes of Cannabis, the UK Border Force said it has seized 7.5 kilos of cocaine hidden inside plantains, within a larger freight consignment of fruit and vegetables from Ghana.

It is estimated the class A drugs could have had a potential value of approximately £750,000 if cut and sold on the street in the UK.

The consignment had come on the same service from Accra, but had arrived a day later than the cannabis. Investigations are ongoing, the Home Office has said.