UK police make record drug haul at Channel Tunnel border

British border police seized cocaine and heroin with an estimated street value of £17.5 million ($21.5 million) at the Channel Tunnel border, the government said Tuesday.

A 68-year-old Belgian man and a 60-year-old Dutch man were arrested on June 10 in Coquelles, on the French side of the undersea rail link, as they tried to enter Britain, the interior ministry said.

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The border police found 200 kilograms of cocaine and heroin hidden within a van’s wall panels, the Home Office said in a statement.

It was one of the largest ever seizures of drugs at the Channel Tunnel border and the biggest at the crossing of Class A drugs – those classified as most likely to cause harm.

Officers made the discovery after intercepting the van during routine border controls.

The two men have been formally charged with the importation of Class A drugs.

Read more: UK, France plan to curb English Channel migrant crossings