Cocaine worth £140m seized at Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has confirmed that 1.3 tonnes of cocaine was smuggled into the Suffolk port in August last year after arriving from Sierra Leone.

The drugs were hidden in 20kg sacks with a cover load of flour and were on their way to be delivered to an industrial estate in Wigan in Lancashire.

On Wednesday, the NCA said nine members from the organized crime group had been arrested in a series of co-ordinated strikes across the country, shown in the video.

Six of the people arrested are believed to be directly linked to the huge drug seizure, the NCA added.

Inside one of the bags seized at the Port of Felixstowe (Image: National Crime Agency)

Three of the alleged crime group members were arrested over conspiracy to supply class A drugs offences.

All of the men arrested are in their 40s, 50s and 60s.

Two of the suspects were arrested at properties in Bootle, one was arrested in Crosby and one man was arrested in Birkenhead, all in Merseyside.

Four suspects were arrested at properties in Chorley in Lancashire, and one man was produced from prison and also arrested.

The men are alleged to have had different roles within the suspected organised crime group and are currently awaiting interview. 

Richie Davies, National Crime Agency branch commander, said: "This was a massive haul of cocaine with an estimated street value of £140m.

"There is no doubt these drugs would have been sold on into communities across the UK fuelling violence, exploitation and misery.

"Since the seizure of the drugs the agency has been working intensely to identify and pursue those responsible."

Five suspects were arrested at the end of 2022 over the importation and were later released under investigation.

Three of those suspects were rearrested.