Criminal gangs had hidden more than one tonne of deadly drugs from South America inside two industrial generators valued at £720,000.

The seizure, which took place at London Gateway, shows how organised crime groups are using ever-more sophisticated methods to evade detection.

Smugglers would have known Border Force faced paying out hundreds of thousands of pounds had they damaged the combined 40 tonnes of equipment without detecting anything.

Despite these increasingly common tactics, experienced officers acted on strong intelligence to strike a significant blow against the criminal networks.

Home Office Minister Mike Tapp said:

Vile drug smugglers thought the threat of a huge damages bill would scare Border Force off intercepting this deadly cocaine haul.

Our first-class officers w

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