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Cocaine worth £2 million seized at Tilbury
08 January 2010
Two Colombian men have been remanded in custody charged with attempting to smuggle 50kg of cocaine into the UK.
The men, aged 30 and 37, were arrested by UK Border Agency officers after a container ship docked at Tilbury on 27 December.
They were wearing diving suits when they were arrested, and are suspected to have hidden on board the vessel - the Ems Trader - which had travelled to the UK from Colombia via Rotterdam.
The drugs, with a street value of £2,000,000, were seized by officers from our Thames Gateway command. The haul was the largest made at the port of Tilbury in 2009.
Both men were remanded in custody at Southend Magistrates Court on 29 December and are due to appear at Basildon Magistrates Court on 27 January.
Jim Jarvie, UK Border Agency deputy director for the central region, said:
'We are on constant alert to prevent Class A substances and other contraband from reaching our streets. We would urge anyone with information about drug smuggling to call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be assured.'