Two men charged after cocaine haul worth £3m found in lorry in Dover
Written by News on 25/04/2020
Two men have been charged by police after cocaine worth £3m was found in a purpose-built hide in a lorry in Dover.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said 50-year-old lorry driver Gary Sloan and Jason Bunce, 57, have been charged with conspiracy to import Class A drugs.
A 40-year-old man from Dover, who was detained at a haulage yard in the town, has been released under investigation.
Investigators found at least 36 kg of cocaine in the lorry that had come by ferry from France to Dover following an operation by the NCA and the Border Force on Thursday night.
Sloan, from Magheralin in Northern Ireland, and Bunce, from Kingswood in Kent, were due to appear Canterbury Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.
The NCA said Sloan was arrested after the drugs were discovered, while Bunce was detained after being stopped near Dover.
Searches were also carried out by officers from the NCA and the Police Service of Northern Ireland at properties in County Londonderry and County Armagh.
NCA regional head of investigations Gerry McLean said: “This was a significant seizure of class A drugs which would have generated a large amount of profit for criminals involved in drug supply.
“Crime groups involved in drugs supply are also involved in violence and exploitation, so cutting off their profits reduces the harm they can cause for our communities.
“Working with partners like Border Force and the PSNI we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle gangs involved in drug trafficking.”
The NCA warned that criminals including drug traffickers were continuing their activities despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Cocaine worth more than £1m was found hidden in a consignment of protective face masks in a Polish-registered on its way to the UK through the Channel Tunnel last week.
(c) Sky News 2020: Two men charged after cocaine haul worth £3m found in lorry in Dover
