UK Border Force officials found half a tonne of cocaine after examining 15 suitcases on a private jet from Colombian Bogota that landed in British Hampshire on Monday, the UK Home Office reported. Each case appeared to contain between 34 to 37 tape wrapped packages weighing approximately one kilo each.
Two British citizens have been among the five nabbed on suspicion of smuggling a whopping £50 million worth of the class A drug. The others are two Spaniards and an Italian man.
The news has immediately sparked an ironic reaction among the Twitterati community, some stating it is the old trick, while others opted for humorous expressions of pity that the cocaine won't find its way to the eager British consumers:
Another user remarked, tongue-in-cheek, that this pair might have engaged in the operation:
According to a National Crime Agency (NCA) official, this is "a major seizure of cocaine, one of the largest flown into the UK by plane in many years."
"Working with law enforcement colleagues like the National Crime Agency (NCA) we are determined to prevent drug trafficking and bring those responsible to justice," The Mirror quoted Border Force deputy chief operating officer, Mike Stepney as saying.
READ MORE: Spanish, Portuguese Police Seize Over 700 Kilos of Cocaine Hidden in Pineapples