Cocaine worth £19.2m seized from lorry on M1 in Bedfordshire

The £19.2m haul of drugs was divided into kilogram blocks, ERSOU said

Two men have been arrested after cocaine worth almost £20m was seized from a lorry at an M1 service station.

The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) said it stopped the vehicle at Toddington Services in Bedfordshire at 14:30 BST on Tuesday.

Detectives discovered 25 stone (156kg) of cocaine packed into cardboard boxes in the trailer, with more drugs found in the lorry.

Police described it as a "significant seizure".

The total potential street value of the drugs was estimated to be about £19.2m, ERSOU said.

The total potential street value of the drugs was estimated, by police, to be about £19.2m

A 61-year-old Belgian national was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

A 27-year-old man from London was also arrested for the same offence after police stopped a car in North Finchley.

Both men have been taken into custody for questioning.

The drugs were found packed into cardboard boxes in the lorry trailer on Tuesday

Police said a further six stone (36kg) of cocaine was found inside the lorry, with the entire haul divided into individual kilogram blocks.

Det Ch Insp Steve Dowty, from ERSOU's Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: "Clearly this is a significant seizure which will have a real impact on the criminal networks looking to bring these dangerous substances into our communities.

"ERSOU has a wide range of specialist officers and teams working tirelessly throughout the year, and we will continue to ensure that Eastern England is a challenging place for organised criminals to operate."

Investigations were ongoing, he added.