Formby man arrested over alleged role in £15m orange juice drugs smuggling operation

100kg of cocaine was found in a lorry stopped at Plymouth port. A Formby man, 60, has been arrested

A Formby man has been arrested after £15m of cocaine was found hidden in a lorry carrying concentrated orange juice.

Officers from the National Crime Agency swooped at an address in the village yesterday to detain the 60-year-old.

The drugs were discovered by Border Force officials in a lorry that arrived at Plymouth port from Santander in Spain last September.

Some 110 kilos of import-quality cocaine was found concealed in the truck as it was stopped for checks.

The drugs were found concealed among boxes of concentrated orange juice.

Two other men, aged 52 and 56, were arrested in Radcliffe and Longsight, both in Greater Manchester, in Thursday’s operation, which saw five warrants executed across the North West.

Witnesses told how armed National Crime Agency officers and Merseyside Police officers stormed the detached house, near Southport Road, at around midday yesterday.

All were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to import Class A drugs and are today set to be questioned.

Dawn Cartwright, from the NCA’s Border Policing Command, said: “Today’s operation has been several months in the planning and follows the seizure of a substantial quantity of Class A drugs with a likely potential street value in excess of £15m.

“The three men we have arrested are now being questioned and my officers are sifting through evidence gathered from the various addresses. Our investigation will continue.”

Story and Photo Source: Liverpool Echo