A search of a consignment from Saint Lucia by UK Border Force officers identified approx. 6.8kg of cocaine concealed inside 9 hollowed out breadfruit all within one marked box.
On Monday 22nd August 2016 a freight consignment consisting of 93 boxes of breadfruit and plantain arrived at Gatwick from the island on board flight VS098.
Border Force South regional director, Sue Young, said: āBorder Force officers play a crucial role in securing our borders against drug smuggling. In this case, their professionalism has meant that dangerous Class A drugs have been seized and will no longer end up in our communities where they can do so much harm.
Young lamented that Border Force South will continue to work with their colleagues from the National Crime Agency effectivelyāstamp out this despicable trade and bring those responsible to justice.ā
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 UK.
They use an array of search techniques including sniffer dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners ā as well as visual searches ā to find well-hidden stowaways, illegal drugs, firearms and tobacco which would otherwise end up causing harm to local people, businesses and communities.