Cape Town – The United Kingdom police reportedly seized 49kgs of cocaine hidden in oranges in a shipment from South Africa.
The drugs were seized from a container of oranges imported from SA to Port Felixstowe, said South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) in London in a statement.
A suspect from Southall, Ealing, was charged with conspiring to import class A drugs and remained in custody.
Three other suspects from West London between the ages of 31 and 60 were released while the investigation continued.
“Our investigation has prevented a huge amount of high purity class A drugs from ending up on our streets, reducing both the threat to communities and the profits of the organised criminals importing and supplying them.
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“The national ROCU network continues to work tirelessly with police forces and law enforcement partners to protect the security and integrity of the UK border,” said DCI Paul Fisher from the SWROCU.
Business Insider reported that the street value of the cocaine was about R75 million.
The report said the cocaine from SA was found after four men were arrested during a swoop in London as police executed a total of seven warrants.
The raids were triggered by the discovery of a 189kg shipment of cocaine in April delivered to a British farm, which had been dispatched from Colombia, the report said.
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Picture: swrocu.police.uk
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Compiled by Olwethu Mpeshe
