More than 28 tons of cocaine was found last year in a record haul for the UK Border Force and police.

The amount of the class-A drugs seized rose by 52 per cent from the year before to the highest level ever recorded.

The country's most significant capture of such narcotics took place in February when 5.7 tons of cocaine was found in a container at Southampton Port - hidden in a cargo of bananas from South America. This single haul is estimated to be worth more than £450million. The domestic cocaine market is dominated by gangs, which the National Crime Agency believes are making around £ 4 billion a year.

More than 119 tons of drugs with a street value of £3 billion were captured in the year ending March 2024, according to the Home Office.

There were 217,644 seizures in England and Wales during this period - a 13 per cent increase compared to the previous year. Border Force, which handled 40,639 drug seizures, discovered a record 74 tons of herbal cannabis - a 58 per cent jump.

Half of murders are linked to drugs, with cocaine consumption in Britain at a record high.

Migration and Citizenship Minister Seema Malhotra, who yesterday visited Border Force officers at Stansted Airport, said: 'Criminal gangs will be caught and face the full force of the law if they try to smuggle drugs into our country.'