Drugs worth £7 million seized from an ice cream lorry at Dover

Border Force officers at the inward freight controls at Dover's Eastern Docks have seized approximately 90 kilos of cocaine and 63 kilos of heroin.

The drugs were discovered in the late evening of Tuesday 24 February 2015 when officers stopped a Dutch-registered lorry carrying a load of ice-cream. Officers searched the vehicle using a detector dog which showed interest in the rear of the vehicle. The drugs were then discovered within the bodywork of the lorry.

The investigation into the seizure is being carried out by the National Crime Agency and a 30-year-old man from the Netherlands has been bailed for three months while their enquiries continue.

Paul Morgan, Director of Border Force South East and Europe said: "Seizures like this demonstrate how Border Force officers are at the forefront of the fight to keep illegal drugs and other banned substances out of the UK.

"Working with law enforcement colleagues like the NCA we are determined to do all we can to prevent drug trafficking and put those responsible behind bars."

Border Force officers use hi-tech search equipment to combat immigration crime and detect banned and restricted goods that smugglers attempt to bring into the country.

They use an array of search techniques including sniffer dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners - as well as visual searches - to find well-hidden stowaways, illegal drugs, firearms and tobacco which would otherwise end up causing harm to local people, businesses and communities.