Four arrested over £80m cocaine discovery

Four men have been arrested in a small Shropshire village over the discovery of £80m of cocaine at a port in Essex.

The men, who are in their 30s, 40s and 60s were arrested on Wednesday by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in Merrington, and have since been released on bail.

It followed the discovery of 847.5kg of the Class A drug at Tilbury Docks in December.

A woman in her 40s was also arrested on suspicion of money laundering and was released under investigation.

An NCA investigation was launched on 23 December, after border force searched a shipping container at Tilbury.

Inside was a cover-load of shea butter, with blocks of cocaine found underneath it.

The blocks had markings at the top and bottom, which included Polo Ralph Lauren logos, a Cessna logo and a Star of David, the NCA said.

It added that West Mercia Police had supported with arrests and searches.

"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," said David Phillips, NCA operations manager.

"This is a very significant haul of cocaine and its seizure will cause big losses to the organised crime group behind its importation."

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