Cops STORM plane at UK airport and find £50m of coke stuffed in designer suitcases

[RoterTeufel]

Cops STORM plane at UK airport and find £50m of coke stuffed in designer suitcases

A PLANE bursting with Colombian cocaine has been rumbled by cops moments after landing at a UK airport.

The private jet landed at Hampshire’s Farnborough Airport yesterday ready to flood Britain’s streets with Class A drugs.

But after touching British soil, specially-trained UK Border Force cops stormed the plane and made a shock discovery.

They found nearly 500kg of cocaine packaged up and stuffed into 15 designer suitcases which had come from Bogota in Colombia.

Five passengers on the plane, including two Brits, two Spaniards and an Italian, were then arrested on the spot on suspicion of importing class A drugs.

The crew of the plane were questioned and released without charge.

Border Force deputy chief operating officer Mike Stepney said: “Working with law enforcement colleagues like the National Crime Agency we are determined to prevent drug trafficking and bring those responsible to justice.

“This was a significant find made possible by the vigilance of dedicated Border Force officers.

"They have prevented a substantial quantity of drugs from ending up on our streets and causing untold misery and damage to our communities.

“After meeting the flight and questioning those on board, officers became suspicious and searched the aircraft and their luggage.

"When opened, each case was found to contain between 34 to 37 tape wrapped packages weighing approximately one kilo each.

"One of these was pierced and a white powder exposed which tested positive for cocaine.”

NCA operations manager Siobhan Micklethwaite added: “This is a major seizure of cocaine, one of the largest flown into the UK by plane in many years, and this seizure by Border Force represents a major blow to organised crime.

“We estimate that once cut and sold on the streets in the UK it would have had a potential value in excess of £50 million. Our investigations into this attempted importation are continuing.”

A spokesman for Farnborough Airport said: "This is a matter for the authorities.

"We do not comment on individual aircraft and passengers."

Daily Star Sunday