U.K. seizes over a ton of cocaine found floating in the English Channel

U.K. border forces seized more than a ton of cocaine found floating in the English Channel, the Home Office announced on Thursday. Police were alerted to a number of packages in the sea early on Wednesday.

A Border Force vessel located them and brought them back to the port of Dover, on England’s south coast.

Forensic tests confirmed they contained cocaine with an estimated weight of one ton.

“These seizures send a clear message to anyone prepared to smuggle illegal drugs into the country that we remain committed to tackle often violent and exploitative drug supply chains,” said Border Force COO Steve Dann.

The seizure comes amid a recent flurry of maritime cocaine discoveries.

Italian police on Monday seized two tons of cocaine found floating off the east coast of Sicily. Earlier this month, packages of cocaine worth more than $100,000 washed up on several Florida beaches. And last month, over two tons of cocaine, packed in tightly sealed bundles, some attached to life jackets, washed up on French beaches in Normandy.

The amount of cocaine seized in the U.K. increased by 68% over the last 12 months, setting a new record of 18.8 tons, according to Home Office statistics for England and Wales, which were published on Thursday.

Ketamine seizures increased by 884% to 1.9 tons — a new record — while cannabis seizures increased by 107% to more than 35 tons, the highest level since 1994, the figures showed.

A report released last month from the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime said global cocaine production has soared to record highs after declining during the coronavirus pandemic. Between 2020 and 2021, cocaine production jumped 35%, the sharpest yearly increase since 2016, the report says. 

That report came shortly after a submarine with two dead bodies and nearly three tons of cocaine on board was seized in the Pacific Ocean.