France - Record cocaine haul 'bound for London'

[Junkhead23]

Police in France have intercepted a record-breaking haul of pure cocaine in a British lorry heading for London.




The 684kg haul - with an estimated street value of £30 million - is almost double the quantity usually seized by British police in an entire year.
The vehicle's driver and a passenger, who are both thought to be British and in their 50s, were arrested on Wednesday in the south of France.
Traffic police became suspicious when the HGV - which had arrived in the country from Spain - was seen being driven erratically on the Mediterranean coast motorway outside Montepelier.
A scanner revealed the drugs when the lorry was pulled over for routine checks. Police say strong coffee beans had been placed inside the vehicle to confuse sniffer dogs.
The cocaine had been packed into plastic bags and rubber containers, and was concealed behind a pile of peat.
A local customs spokesman said: "It's likely that its ultimate destination was London. Police are currently questioning the driver and passenger who were on board, both of whom are thought to be British nationals."
He added: "This is such an important find that budget minister Eric Woerth is coming to examine the drugs personally later this week. It's the biggest haul of cocaine ever seized in mainland France."
Both of the arrested men denied all knowledge of the cocaine, but confirmed they had been delivering their load to London.
The English capital is regarded as the centre of the European cocaine trade.


Source - http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090528/...n-41f21e0.html