Illegal drugs valued at over £160 million have been intercepted at a single UK port within one month.

On 28 June, Border Force officers at Southampton Port discovered 477 kilograms of cocaine, worth £38 million, concealed among banana pallets in a shipping container.

The Home Office reported that a second container searched later that day yielded 530 kilograms of cocaine valued at roughly £47 million.

On 10 July, officers uncovered another 960 kilograms of cocaine, estimated at £76 million.

Days later, 290 kilograms of cannabis worth £1.2 million was stashed inside a hardwood flooring shipment.

In the year to March 2025, Border Force seized 150 tonnes of illegal drugs worth £2.6 billion—a 40 per cent rise year-on-year and a record high.

Home Office minister Jo White said: “We are one step ahead of these vile criminal gangs.

“Border Force has cost them tens of millions in under a month.

“These drugs fuel further offending, destroy lives and inflict misery on our communities.

“We will continue our relentless action to hit supply chains, protect the public and secure our borders.”

Lyn Sari, head of Border Force South Region, said: “Every seizure we make is a setback for organised crime.

“I would like to thank our dedicated officers, who work around the clock to prevent these drugs from reaching our streets and causing immense harms.”

“Border Force is working ever more closely with law enforcement partners in the UK and overseas to combat drug smuggling.”