Two men have been arrested after Border Force officers seized cocaine with a street value of £6.8m at a Hampshire port.

Officers stopped a lorry at Portsmouth continental ferry terminal, which had just arrived off a ferry from Caen around 11.45am on Thursday 18 October.

The drugs were found after the vehicle was searched. The cocaine weighed approximately 68 kilograms and is estimated to have had a potential value of approximately £6.8 million if cut and sold on the street in the UK.

It is one of the largest seizures of cocaine made at Portsmouth so far this year.

The men arrested – a 31-year-old from Orpington in Kent and a 43-year-old British man who lives in Spain – have been bailed pending further enquiries until 19 and 20 February 2013 respectively.

Andy Lumb, from Border Force, said: “As this detection shows, our officers are on constant alert, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to keep drugs, other smuggled goods and illegal persons out of the UK.

“We are determined to prevent this terrible trade which can have such a destructive impact on the lives of so many.”

Anyone who has information on suspected smuggling or immigration offences can visit ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or call the Border Force hotline on 0800 59 5000.