The seizure was made on Saturday 20 June, when officers stopped a Bulgarian registered lorry at Dover’s Eastern Docks.
When Border Force officers searched the vehicle they found an estimated 37 kilograms of cocaine. The drugs had a potential street value of around £3.7 million and the investigation was referred to the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Chris Philp, Minister for Immigration Compliance and the Courts, said:
This was an excellent seizure and has prevented a large amount of lethal Class A drugs from reaching the UK’s streets.
Working with our partners at the NCA we will continue to do all we can to arrest and prosecute those involved in drug smuggling.
Bulgarian national Kiril Petkov Hubavenski, 32, of no fixed UK address, was charged with the attempted importation of a Class A drug. He appeared at Maidstone Magistrates Court on Monday 22 June and was remanded in custody until his next appearance at Canterbury Crown Court on 20 July.
Border Force officers use hi-tech search equipment to combat immigration crime and detect banned and restricted goods that smugglers attempt to bring into the country.
