Man arrested after £17m of ketamine found in van

A total of 35 bags of ketamine were found in a van stopped by officers in Merseyside

A man has been arrested after sacks of ketamine with a street value of around £17m were discovered by police in the back of a van.

Officers from the Merseyside Organised Crime Partnership (OCP) stopped the van on the East Lancashire Road in Merseyside on Tuesday afternoon.

They found 35 sacks filled with around 875 kg of ketamine in the back of the vehicle.

A 46-year-old man from Liverpool, who was driving the van, was arrested and taken into custody for questioning, police said.

Ketamine was found in multiple sacks inside the vehicle, police said

The operation was carried out by a team of investigators from the National Crime Agency and Merseyside Police with support from Merseyside Police Matrix Disruption Team, who tackle high-risk organised crime in the county.

Det Ch Insp Tony Roberts, of Merseyside OCP, said they had made a significant seizure of a drug which was posing an increasing threat to UK communities.

"Our operation has ensured that this large quantity of ketamine will never make it on to UK streets and endanger drug users," he said.

"Merseyside OCP is working relentlessly to identify and arrest organised criminals who are profiting from the destruction and violence caused by the drugs trade."