Border Force officers at Dover’s Eastern Docks have prevented an attempt to smuggle approximately 30 kilos of cocaine into the UK.

Officers at the inward freight controls stopped a Latvian-registered lorry.

A search of the trailer uncovered 30 brown wrapped packages concealed under bird seed bags.

The contents of one of the packages was tested and proved positive for cocaine, the Latvian driver was arrested.

David Smith, Deputy Director of Border Force South East and Europe, said: “Border Force officers are at the forefront of the fight to keep illegal drugs out of the country.

"The estimated street value of this cocaine would have been around £3.2 million, this seizure will have made a considerable dent in the profits of the criminals involved.

“Every year Border Force officers operating at the UK border seize Class A drugs worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

"Working with law enforcement partners like the National Crime Agency (NCA) we are determined to prevent drug trafficking and to bring those responsible to justice.”

The drugs were discovered on Sunday.

The driver was later released under investigation while NCA enquiries continue.

Border Force uses hi-tech search equipment to combat immigration crime and detect banned and restricted goods that smugglers attempt to bring into the country.

Officers use sniffer dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors, scanners and visual searches to find well-hidden stowaways, illegal drugs, firearms and tobacco.

• Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling should call 0800 59 5000.