Man denies smuggling £200m of cocaine in bananas through Portsmouth

Officers removed the cocaine and replaced it with more bananas before delivering the consignment

A man smuggled cocaine with a street value of £200m into the UK in a shipment of bananas, a court has heard.

The Old Bailey was told the operation in 2021 had been the largest inland seizure of the drug by UK officers.

Prosecutors say Petko Zhutev, 38, was "instrumental" in preparing a unit in London where the drugs, which came into Portsmouth, were to be delivered.

He denies importing the Class A drug and possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

Opening the case, prosecutor Tyrone Silcott said the UK Border Force discovered four pallets containing 2,330 blocks of cocaine weighing more than two tonnes in a consignment of 41 pallets of bananas that had arrived in Portsmouth on a boat from Colombia in February 2021.

'Black revolver'

The street value of the drugs was in the region of £186m and when mixed with other substances would have a value of £200m, Mr Silcott said.

The court heard officers removed the cocaine and replaced it with more bananas before two police officers acting covertly as lorry drivers delivered the consignment to three men at the storage unit in Tottenham.

"Both officers who delivered the bananas said that one male particularly engaged with them and appeared to be in charge," said Mr Silcott.

Two hours after the delivery was made, police officers entered the warehouse to arrest the three men who had started searching the boxes, jurors heard.

A black revolver pistol which was "loaded and ready to go" was also discovered in the ceiling above the boxes, the prosecutor said.

The trial is expected to last for four weeks.