London Gateway: £40m cocaine stash found in banana box

Image source, National Crime Agency

National Crime Agency and Border Force officers made the discovery

Blocks of cocaine with an estimated value of more than £40m have been found in a shipment of bananas.

The drugs weigh more than half a tonne (500kg) and were discovered on Tuesday at the London Gateway port, Thurrock in Essex.

They originated in Colombia and were on their way to the Netherlands, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).

NCA branch operations manager Adam Berry said the seizure was “a huge blow” to the criminals behind it.

Image source, National Crime Agency

The drugs were hidden in banana boxes

Mr Berry said the criminal network behind the smuggling attempt had “made millions of pounds which will be invested in further crime”.

“The NCA is working hard with partners to stop drugs getting this far, and busts like this show how we can break the link between international drug cartels and street dealers,” he added.

Image source, National Crime Agency

Officers estimate the drugs have a UK street level value of more than £40m

Image source, National Crime Agency

The shipment was on its way to the Netherlands

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How can you tell an undercover narc?

Does an undercover have to tell you? A myth based on the concept of police entrapment plain-clothes law enforcement organizations like the FBI could not even exist. Although the idea that an undercover cop has to tell the truth is just a myth, that myth is based on the very real concept of policing.

How do you tell if your dealer is setting you up?

Here’s everything a drug dealer will tell you

• WHEN YOU MEET THEM IN PERSON AND ON THE PHONE.
• IF YOU FIRST CALL OR TEXT THEM.
• IF YOU CALL HERE 15 MINUTES AFTER THEY SAID THEY WILL BE THERE.
• IF YOU CALL THERE 45 MINUTES AFTER THEY SAID THEY WILL BE THERE.

How do you know if you’re talking to an undercover cop?

Unmarked police vehicles can often be recognized by features such as municipal plates, clusters of antennas, and dark tinted windows. When checking out a potential police officer in person, look for short, neatly groomed military haircuts, heavy-duty boots, or baggy clothes with lots of pockets.

Why do drug dealers change their phone numbers?

Many traffickers use pre-paid, disposable cell phones — commonly called burn phones — and constantly change numbers to avoid getting caught, law enforcement officials said.

What is a undercover narc?

Undercover narcotics officers work to combat the trafficking and trafficking of illegal narcotics. They cultivate and handle sources, plan narcotics operations, conduct surveillance and stay abreast of current drug trends. Above all, they know how to blend in, so that no one suspects their true line of work.

What do undercover agents do?

Undercover law enforcement officers conduct covert investigations to prevent criminal activity and gather evidence to solve crimes. They are essential to the operation of law enforcement agencies and can work at the local, state and federal levels.

How can you tell if someone is an undercover?

Unmarked police vehicles can often be recognized by features such as municipal plates, clusters of antennas, and dark tinted windows. When checking out a potential police officer in person, look for short, neatly groomed military haircuts, heavy-duty boots, or baggy clothes with lots of pockets.

What do undercover police cars look like?

Even unmarked, these vehicles differ from their civilian counterparts. First, they don’t come in fancy colors. Most police departments order white, black or silver vehicles, then add badges and lettering. Their unmarked cars will be the same color – without the badges.

What is the difference between a marked and unmarked police car?

An unmarked police car is one that lacks the standard visible markings and sound of a typical police car. Unmarked cars may have various bells and whistles that give them away upon inspection – some practice can help a person identify marked versus unmarked police cars.

What is an unmarked cop car?

According to the Motor and Wheel website, some states allow police officers to use unmarked police cars to patrol traffic, but not to make traffic stops. If they catch you speeding, they will have to call in a fully marked police car or police SUV to pull you over.

What does lines mean in county lines?

The lines refer to mobile phones used to control a young person who delivers drugs, often in cities outside their home country.

What is another term for county lines? Peeking is when drug gangs take over a vulnerable person’s home through violence and intimidation, using it as a base to sell/manufacture drugs. This is the most popular term that describes county line activity.

What are county lines examples?

This may be a local dealer or drug user, or a dealer or drug user in another county. Expressions that young people may use to refer to county lines include: ‘run a line’, ‘go OT/outside’

How are county lines Organised?

County Lines is a term for organized illegal drug dealing networks, usually controlled by one person using a single telephone number, or ‘deal line’.

What is the meaning of county lines?

County Lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries (although not exclusively), usually by children or vulnerable people forced by gangs. The ‘County Line’ is the mobile phone line used to take drug orders.

What county line means?

County lines is the name for drug trafficking, where organized criminal groups (OCGs) use telephone lines to move and deliver drugs, usually from cities to smaller towns and rural areas.

Is county Line one word or two?

A county line is the boundary between two counties. County lines may also refer to: County lines (drug dealing), a form of drug trafficking in Great Britain.

How do you spot a drug stash house?

Indicators of a Stash House:

• Most drug stash houses are rental houses.
• Stash house operators prefer houses with attached garage.
• The yard is not kept, although they sometimes send someone to clean it so as not to attract attention.
• There is usually little, if any, furniture in the house.

How do you know if you live next to a drug house? If you smell noxious or strong odors coming from a house, this could suggest the presence of a meth lab. Additional visual cues include black windows (even during the day) and unusually high fences or similar security measures that seem out of place to the neighborhood. You notice drug paraphernalia in the area.

What do you call a drug dealer house?

July 2020) A drug house (also called a trap house) is a residence used in the illegal drug trade. Drug houses shelter drug users and provide a place for drug dealers to supply them. Drug houses can also be used as laboratories to synthesize (cook) drugs, or cache ingredients and products.

What is a drug stash house?

Narcotics investigators call these hidden places “stash houses.” Unlike a house where low-level dealers sell drugs to users, with all the accompanying traffic that comes and goes, stash houses are chosen and used in a way that the drug dealers think will prevent suspicion.