Bristol man charged after attempted import of cocaine with street value of £1.75 million
It follows his arrest by officers from the National Crime Agency yesterday (20 March)
A man from Bristol has been charged with drug offences after attempting to import cocaine worth - according to the National Crime Agency - a potential £1.75 million.
He was arrested by officers from the NCA following a shipment.
Derick Everton Grant, 52, originally from Jamaica, is the director of a food importation company that allegedly arranged the shipment in 10 pallets of ackee, the national fruit of Jamaica, imported to Portbury Dock, Bristol.
On Friday (17 March), Border Force officers searched the shipment, and found a number of the boxes to have tins in them filled with not the food - but cocaine.
In all 22 kilos of cocaine were found by the Border Force officials.
Grant was arrested yesterday morning as he exited a flat on Broomhill Road in Bristol, carrying a bag containing his passport, a large quantity of cash and two high value watches.
The operation was supported by Border Force, the Avon and Somerset police, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit and HMRC.
Anthony Hubbard, operations manager for the NCA said:
“This operation will have a significant impact on the supply of illegal drugs in the Bristol area. It is a superb example of what we achieve through collaboration, working with law enforcement partners to disrupt criminal activity, and protect the UK’s border security.
“We share a determination to bear down on criminal exploitation of our ports and yesterday’s operation demonstrates that in action, and I want to thank those partners who worked with us. Our investigation continues.”
Two other individuals from the Bristol area, a 41 year old man 35 year old woman, were also arrested yesterday. They have both been released on bail following interviews.