By Jerry Lawton

Copyright dailystar

Cops have seized a mountain of cocaine the weight of a double-decker bus in the space of just three months. Officers from Border Force and the National Crime Agency nabbed 15.6 tonnes of the deadly drug between June 1 and August 31. It is more than half the 26.5 tonnes seized in the whole of last year and greater than the 15.22 tonnes confiscated in 2023. Police are on course to smash the record for the most cocaine seized in a single year. They reckon they have taken more than £1bn worth of the drug off the streets. A Border Force spokesman said the triumph was down to ‘enhanced international intelligence sharing’ which is allowing them to ‘strike blow after blow against the organised crime networks’ trying to flood Britain’s streets with drugs. Smugglers are testing new methods of bringing in cocaine from South America via commercial ships. One passenger stopped by officers had hidden £800,000 worth of cocaine in a cheese wheel. In June, cops seized 2.4 tonnes of cocaine worth £100m from a vessel travelling into London Gateway – the sixth largest single detection on record. Home Office minister Mike Tapp said: “Border Force’s record-breaking summer of seizures – costing criminals a staggering £1bn – shows our mission to deliver safer streets is working. “Every kilo taken spares countless lives from addiction, prevents hundreds of drug deals and stops communities from descending into violence. “The criminal gangs inflicting this misery on our streets should know we’re on to you. “More than ever we have the intelligence, expertise and determination to destroy your vile trade.” Adam Thompson, head of drugs threat at the National Crime Agency, said swoops had soared thanks to its work across the globe to ‘collect and share intelligence with domestic and international law enforcement partners to support their operations tackling organised crime’. “This intelligence was key to interdicting large sums of Class A drugs that crime groups tried to smuggle into the UK,” he said. “Without NCA and Border Force intervention, these drugs would have been moved across the country and led to increased violence, crime and harm in our communities.” Border Force has revealed traffickers are hiding drugs in high-value equipment in a bid to deter officers searching for them in case they get a big bill for damages. But they are using technology and intelligence to overcome the tactic. Cocaine-related deaths in England and Wales rose 31% between 2022 and 2023.