Three men have been arrested in an investigation into an organized crime group that hid drugs in industrial machinery.
It follows a series of raids carried out across south-east England on Tuesday morning as part of an operation involving the discovery of 125kg of cocaine being shipped to Sydney, Australia.
Officers found the drugs inside a specially built concealed compartment built into a diesel generator, which was being transported by air to Australia.
The men arrested included a 29-year-old from Wickford, Essex, a 43-year-old from Much Hadham, Hertfordshire and a 42-year-old from Romford, Essex.
All three are in custody on suspicion of conspiring to export a controlled drug and are being questioned by National Crime Agency officers.
Officers also searched industrial facilities in Rayleigh, Essex, South Ockenden and Feltham in west London.
They found another generator with a hidden secret compartment at the South Ockenden address, as well as cannabis plants, several stolen vehicles, and high-value jewelry.
NCA branch commander Lydia Bloomfield said: “Our investigation targeted a network that we suspect is providing a rare and highly sophisticated service to other organized crime groups. .
“A shipment of this amount of cocaine from the UK to Australia is unusual, but represents the global scale of the Class A drug trade – which causes violence and intimidation throughout its supply chain. .
“This operation was planned and executed in conjunction with our partners including Border Force and New South Wales Police. We work closely with partners around the world to combat this. organized crime threats are most at risk.”
Australian police found 125kg of cocaine hidden in machines
At the same time as the UK raids, New South Wales Police officers in Australia raided a property in Cawdor. During the raid, two vehicles – a Mercedes van and a Pantech truck – left the site, Australian police said.
New South Wales Police said in a statement: “It is believed that the driver of the lorry struck several police cars before both vehicles were stopped after a brief pursuit.”
Three men in Australia have been arrested and charged with various charges including conspiracy to import cocaine. They were denied bail and are scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Australia’s organized crime squad leader, Detective Chief Superintendent Robert Critchlow, said: “This is clearly a highly coordinated organization who have gone to great lengths both here and in Europe to make sure their drug shipments arrive without being banned.”
“Our ability to share intelligence both here and abroad has led to the complete destruction of this criminal enterprise – and the prospect of a long prison sentence for each of those involved. “
