£25m of cocaine found in ‘medical supplies van’

LONDON: Cocaine worth more than £25 million has been seized from a fake medical supplies van heading to the UK.

It had been claimed the vehicle was carrying important supplies to a UK hospital, but when Border Force officers opened it they found 285kg of the Class A drug concealed amongst dry ice. The seizure was made on Tuesday when the Belgian-registered van was stopped at UK border controls in Coquelles, France, the Home Office said on Thursday.

Chris Philp, minister for immigration compliance, said: “Criminals will look to exploit any situation for their advantage, including the current pandemic. They may hope that shipments listed as medical supplies might be subject to less scrutiny, but Border Force are alert to the risks.

“This seizure has taken millions of pounds worth of cocaine out of the hands of organised criminals and off our streets. Drugs are currency for organised gangs and are intrinsically linked to crime and violence. Border Force will continue to work with the NCA to bring those involved in drug smuggling to justice.” Belgian national Padmore Asamoah,

of no fixed UK address, has been charged with the attempted importation of a Class A drug.

He appeared at Medway Magistrates Court on Wednesday where he was remanded in custody to appear at Maidstone Crown Court on June 3.