Border Force officers, acting on intelligence, recovered a consignment of almost three tonnes of cocaine at London Gateway Port in Essex in early August, the National Crime Agency has said.
The agency seized a 2.9-tonne consignment of the Class A drug on 6 August, according to a report published by Port Technology International on 19 August 2026. The haul is estimated to be worth about A3232 million, equivalent to roughly $314 million.
The drugs were concealed inside a container described in the report as carrying a shipment of bananas from South America. Intelligence-led checks by Border Force personnel led to the discovery and recovery of the narcotics at the port.
Port Technology International published the account of the operation, which identified London Gateway Port in Essex as the location of the seizure and credited the National Crime Agency with the operation. No further operational details or identifications of suspects were provided in the supplied report.
The seizure
The consignment recovered measured 2.9 tonnes and was discovered within a single container load. The report underlines that the recovery followed intelligence that prompted Border Force officers to inspect the shipment.
The value attached to the seizure in the report is presented as an estimated street value for the seizure, given in pounds sterling with a US dollar equivalent alongside it. The report places the estimated value at A3232 million and $314 million respectively.
Route and concealment
According to the supplied summary, the container was recorded as carrying bananas from South America. The report did not specify the country of origin within the continent nor provide additional documentation details.
The single-container concealment and the involvement of intelligence and Border Force inspections are the only operational details given in the report; the National Crime Agency is identified as the agency that carried out the seizure.
The Port Technology International item, headlined "Nearly 3 tonnes of cocaine seized at London Gateway," appears to be the primary public account of the incident in the supplied notes. It states the seizure date as 6 August and was published on 19 August 2026.
The seizure at London Gateway underlines ongoing risks to containerised trade from drug concealment and the role of intelligence-led maritime border checks in intercepting high-value consignments. The supplied report does not indicate subsequent prosecutions, further investigative steps, or whether partners in other jurisdictions were involved.
Local port activity and container throughput at London Gateway were not described in the supplied material and therefore are not reported here. The factual notes available restrict the account to the seizure, the commodity used to conceal the drugs, the agencies named and the dates given in the Port Technology International item.