BORDER FORCE SEIZES £160M DRUGS AT SOUTHAMPTON PORT

Border Force officers at Southampton Port intercepted illegal drugs valued at over £160 million within a one-month period, according to the Home Office. On 28 June, officers discovered 477 kilograms of cocaine worth £38 million concealed among banana pallets in a shipping container. A second container searched the same day contained 530 kilograms of cocaine valued at approximately £47 million. On 10 July, officers uncovered a further 960 kilograms of cocaine estimated at £76 million, followed days later by 290 kilograms of cannabis worth £1.2 million found in a hardwood flooring shipment.

The seizures form part of a broader enforcement effort by Border Force. According to the Home Office, Border Force seized 150 tonnes of illegal drugs worth £2.6 billion in the year to March 2025, representing a 40 per cent increase year-on-year and described as a record high. Lyn Sari, head of Border Force South Region, said the seizures represent setbacks for organised crime and credited officers for preventing drugs from reaching UK streets.

Jo White, Home Office minister, stated that Border Force actions have cost criminal gangs tens of millions of pounds in under a month. The minister said the drugs intercepted would have fuelled further offending and caused harm to communities. Border Force stated it is working more closely with law enforcement partners in the UK and overseas to combat drug smuggling.