Four men have been arrested after cocaine with a street value of £80 million was discovered under shea butter in a shipping container.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said men aged in their 30s, 40s and 60s were arrested at an address in Merrington, Shropshire, on Wednesday after 847.50 kilograms of the class A drug was recovered.
It comes after Border Force searched the cargo at Tilbury Docks in Essex on December 23 last year, finding a cover load of shea butter.
This is a very significant haul of cocaine
Under the product were blocks of cocaine marked on the top and bottom with symbols including designer Polo Ralph Lauren’s logo and the Star of David.
The men arrested by the NCA have been bailed.
A woman in her 40s was also arrested on suspicion of money laundering and released under investigation.
NCA operations manager David Phillips said: “The NCA works tirelessly with partners at home and abroad to protect the public from the threat of class A drugs which cause devastation to communities across the UK.
“This is a very significant haul of cocaine and its seizure will cause big losses to the organised crime group behind its importation.”
