Southend: £32m cocaine haul

Cocaine worth £32million was seized at Southend Airport in Britain's largest ever drugs haul.

Customs officers swooped on a Boeing 707 aircraft after suitcases were thrown from its cargo door as it taxied on the runway.

Six men four British, one Nigerian and one Serb were arrested after it emerged the six cases each contained more than 80 kilos of drugs.

The ageing jet, which landed in Southend at around 9pm yesterday, had flown from Jamaica via Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.

Robert Buxton, law enforcement spokesman for Customs and Excise in London, said: The aircraft was seen to taxi to the end of the runway and the cargo doors opened.

Six massive suitcases were dropped out and were waiting to be collected but Customs were waiting and saw what happened.

He added: The aircraft is under Customs control and the drugs have been taken to a secure and undisclosed location. There were around 500 kilos of cocaine with an estimated street value of £32m.

The six men were arrested and taken to central London where they were due to be interviewed today.

It is believed Customs officers had known about the operation before the plane marked Koda Air Cargo and registered 3C-GIG landed at Southend.

One of the men arrested was said to be a Southend airport worker but Mr Buxton would neither confirm or deny the report.

He also refused to reveal the crew's cover story for landing in Southend.

He added: The sheer quantity of drugs in this case is quite unusual and is most certainly the biggest in Britain to date. We would only usually make this kind of seizure abroad.

The suitcases which were dropped on the tarmac were so heavy they required three Customs officers to lift each one. Britain's second largest drugs seizure is thought to have been around 250 to 300 kilos almost half the weight of last night's haul.