Huge cocaine haul seized

The drugs have an estimated street value of £50m

More than 800 kilograms of cocaine has been seized by customs officers on the M3 in south England.

The drugs were found hidden in a cargo of ground nuts in a lorry on Friday at the Winchester service station on the M3 in Hampshire.

The drugs have an estimated street value of £50m.

A customs spokesman said it was certainly among the largest seizures in UK history.

Officers from Thames Valley and Hampshire police forces secured the area around the service station, and customs officers arrested two men.

'Sophisticated'

A third man was arrested later on Friday in Chaddleworth, Oxfordshire after he was followed along the motorway.

A fourth man, believed to be from Wales, surrendered himself at Winchester police station on Saturday morning.

This is the 21st Century, criminals are getting more sophisticated, but this shows that customs are matching them

Customs spokesperson

A customs spokesperson said: "This is a huge seizure, coming only the day after three and a half tonnes of cocaine was seized in the mid-Atlantic.

"This is the 21st Century, criminals are getting more sophisticated, but this shows that customs are matching them.

"It's important to realise that these drugs were already in the country."

She said they believed the load had come in through France, but said as the operation was ongoing they could not release any more details.