Border Force officers have intercepted a huge shipment of cocaine, believed to have a street value of around £80m, at an Essex port.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) stated that it had launched an investigation following the one-tonne seizure at London Gateway Port on Friday.
However, the UK is not believed to have been the end destination for the drugs, with the ship carrying them having been bound for Norway.
The shrink-wrapped drugs were found inside a number of holdalls in a container that had been shipped from Panama along with a "cover load" of ceramics and kitchenware.
"This was a fantastic seizure by our colleagues at Border Force, and taking this amount of cocaine out of circulation will have deprived the organised criminals involved of millions in profits," NCA senior investigating officer Paul Orchard said.
Police seizures of cocaine hit a record high last year, with 23,706 finds logged in the year to March 2025 - up 13% from the previous year.
Read more from Sky News:
Mohamed Salah to leave Liverpool
Transgender girls given deadline to leave Guides
Meanwhile, Border Force and police intercepted drugs on a record-breaking 269,000 occasions, an increase of 24% on the year before.
The discovery follows the recent seizure of 943kg of cocaine from a shipping container at Southampton Docks with an estimated street value of £75m.
(c) Sky News 2026: Cocaine worth £80m shipped with kitchenware seized at Essex port by Border Force
How a patient stepped out for a vape and foiled a suicide bomber at Leeds hospital
Government looking at decoupling electricity and gas prices to bring down bills
Mohamed Salah to leave Liverpool at end of season, club say
FA hits back at Reform's 'woke nonsense' complaint - as Ipswich Town criticised over Farage visit
Illegal waste will remain an 'out of control plague' without greater co-operation, committee warns
First five NHS trusts to be placed in special recovery programme named
Hundreds of teenagers to be banned from using social media for trial period
Family pay tribute to 'true gentleman' police officer killed in line of duty
Married At First Sight star Mel Schilling dies 'surrounded by love'
