Four Men Busted in Massive £140m Cocaine Sting Across Lancashire and Midlands
Coordinated Raids Net Four Suspects
Early Tuesday, police swooped on four men in a series of coordinated raids. Two suspects, aged 67 and 48, hail from Chorley, Lancashire. Another, 39, is from Bolton, Lancashire, while the fourth, aged 40, comes from Derby in the Midlands.
All four were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to import cocaine and remain in custody awaiting interviews.
Searches Rock Homes and Businesses
National Crime Agency (NCA) officers carried out thorough searches at the suspects’ homes and various business premises across Derby, Chorley, and Standish near Wigan.
Felixstowe Port Haul Sparks Investigation
The crackdown ties back to a massive seizure in August when Border Force found a 20-kilo stash of Class A drugs hidden in a container at Felixstowe port, Suffolk. This discovery ignited the ongoing NCA investigation.
£140m Worth of Cocaine Off UK Streets
Richie Davies, NCA Branch Commander, said: “This is a massive haul of cocaine with an estimated street value of £140 million and the NCA has been working intensely to identify and pursue those responsible.”
“There’s no doubt these drugs would have been sold into communities across the UK via County Lines, fuelling further crime and misery.”
“Organised crime groups are motivated by money. Seizing these drugs hits a hole in their plans and cripples their operation.”
“We continue to work closely with partners such as Border Force to protect the public from the Class A drugs threat.”
