'Record-breaking' drugs haul seized at Southampton port by border force as £139m of cannabis taken off streets

Border Force has seized a “record-breaking” 12-tonnes of cannabis as part of a major international operation.

The staggering haul deprives organised crime of an estimated £139m in revenue. The illegal drugs were detected last month at Southampton Port, crammed into two shipping containers from Canada.

Officers found 1,200 boxes of cannabis inside them weighing around 12 tonnes - making it Border Force’s largest ever cannabis seizure. Home Office intelligence analysts, supported by UK Law enforcement and partners in Canada, identified the two containers on their way to Southampton.

The previous largest cannabis seizure that Border Force undertook was just under eight tonnes (7,955 kilos) in April 2017 at the same port. Migration and citizenship minister Mike Tapp said: “Congratulations to our brilliant Border Force officers for this record-breaking haul.

“We will not allow criminal gangs to profit from misery and peddle their vile trade. More than ever before, we are working with policing and international partners to secure our borders and keep our streets safe."

Border force director general Phil Douglas said: “This biggest cannabis seizure ever shows Border Force’s relentless action to stop drugs reaching UK streets and destroying lives. My thanks to our officers, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, and the Canada Border Services Agency for their dedication, collaboration, and professionalism."

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The containers, which had 1,200 boxes inside, were intercepted on May 6. Two men and one woman from South Wales were arrested as part of a South West Regional Organised Unit (SWROCU) led investigation into the importation of drugs. Officers from South Wales Police and Gwent Police supported the operation.

Raids took place at their homes in Merthyr Tydfil, Ebbw Vale and Abertillery. All three suspects, aged in their 30s and 40s, were arrested on suspicion of facilitating the importations and are currently in police custody.

SWROCU Acting Inspector, Stuart Cumine, said: "Operations like this, working with partners on a national and international level, disrupt criminal networks, deprive them of funds, and protect communities across the UK from the harm that drug supply and other organised criminality causes."

Canada Border Services Agency President, Erin O’Gorman added: "These seizures reflect the strength of the combined operational focus and intelligence-sharing efforts between Canadian federal law enforcement and our UK Border Force partners. It is the result of a highly coordinated, intelligence-led approach to disrupting transnational organised crime. The movement of illegal cannabis fuels organised crime networks, and this seizure underscores our collective commitment to combat these criminal activities and keep our borders strong and secure."