Southampton Port officers find cocaine in container from Colombia

The drugs were hidden inside 20 pallets of bananas which had been sent from Colombia.

But when the container arrived at the city on January 6, it was selected for examination by Border Force officers.

They discovered four holdalls, each found to contain approximately 25 wrapped packages that tested positive for the presence of cocaine.

The street value has been estimated as £7.5 million (103kgs).

The cocaine seized at Southampton Port

Tim Kingsberry, regional director of Border Force South, said: “Drug supply chains are violent and exploitative, degrading neighbourhoods across our country.

“This seizure and others like it send a clear message to anyone considering attempting to smuggle illegal drugs into the country that we remain committed and prepared to tackle drug supply chains.

“The officers involved in this seizure can be proud of their work in preventing this drug consignment from reaching our communities."

Royston Smith, MP for Southampton Itchen, said that drug users often do not consider 'the bigger picture'.

He told the Echo: "I'm pleased that the drugs were found and have been taken off the streets.

The cocaine seized at Southampton Port

"I will go back to what I say all the time – these drugs don't arrive by Amazon. Once they have finished on their trips overseas and end up on our streets, that's when they fall into the hands of young kids, who are often armed, trafficked and scared.

"There's a much bigger picture here, as it's not always the stereotypical drug addicts that may first come to mind. We must do what we can to disrupt the market because it's often ruining the lives of children who are being forced to do it.

"People who use drugs recreationally and supply the market with money don't often see this, and it's a real danger."