Northampton: Cocaine worth £78m seized by police

Northamptonshire Police said the 780kg of cocaine, with a street value of up to £78m, constituted the biggest drug raid it had ever made

Cocaine valued at up to £78m has been seized from a lorry making a delivery to an industrial depot.

Northamptonshire Police raided the vehicle in Brackmills Industrial Estate, Northampton, on Friday.

The force said it was the "biggest seizure of Class A drugs" it had made and the discovery followed reports of a theft from the lorry.

Three men and a woman have been arrested and released on bail, pending further inquiries.

The lorry had been making a delivery to a depot in Brackmills Industrial Estate, Northampton when police responded to reports of a theft from it

On arrival, officers discovered holdalls filled with blocks of cocaine and a short time later traced a dumped van which contained further bags full of drugs.

In total, 18 holdalls were recovered.

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The force said its investigation was trying to establish where the cocaine came from and who was transporting it.

Det Supt Emma James said: "In total we've recovered 780kg [123 stone] of cocaine which, following forensic analysis, has been moved out of the county.

"Tackling serious organised crime is a matter of priority for us in Northamptonshire.

"People may think that buying cocaine for a night out isn't an issue, but the organised crime gangs involved in distributing Class A drugs are often also responsible for other forms of criminality, such as modern slavery and the coercion of vulnerable people to house and deal drugs, violence and firearms offences."