More than £30m of cocaine has been discovered on a boat in Eastbourne by investigators.
Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) seized 425kg of the Class A drug from a fishing vessel at Eastbourne Marina just after 1pm on Monday (8 June).
It’s thought the cocaine has a street value of £34m.
A total of five people have been arrested in connection with the incident.
It’s alleged four of the men picked up the drugs using a fishing vessel called New Horizon, after they were dropped in the English Channel by another boat, before returning to shore.
The fifth man was not on the vessel and was arrested when the other four returned to harbour.
The men, aged 32 to 49, are from Scotland and Eastbourne. They remain in custody at this time.
The operation was carried out by the NCA’s Maritime, Aviation and Military Intervention Cell, the Joint Maritime Security Centre, Sussex Police and Police Scotland.
A number of searches have also been carried out in Scotland.
Carl Barrass, NCA senior investigating officer, said: “The recovery of this quantity of cocaine represents a significant loss to the organised crime group behind its importation and will impact its ability to continue operating.
“Combating the threat of Class A drugs is a priority for the NCA and we will continue to work with partners at home and abroad to protect the public.”
