UK authorities have seized approximately five tons of cocaine worth over £400 million ($538 million) in a single port within a month. The drugs were hidden in banana shipments and South American wine vats at London Gateway Port, about 30 miles from London. The Home Office confirmed the seizures but did not disclose any arrests.
The largest single seizure involved three tons of cocaine disguised as banana boxes in a shipping container from Panama, valued at £256 million. A second shipment, worth £80 million, was found in a wine container from South America. Both were detected using high-tech scanners.
This follows a March 2026 bust at Southampton Docks, where three men were charged for smuggling $100 million worth of cocaine in bananas. In February 2024, another 12,500-pound cocaine haul was seized in Southampton, then the UK's largest single seizure. Similar cases have occurred globally, including in Greece, Russia, and Norway, where cocaine was hidden in banana shipments.
Charlie Eastaugh, Director of Maritime and Small Boats, stated: 'These results speak for themselves: we are coming after drug smugglers.' The seizures highlight ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking through ports.