£5m Shropshire heroin seizure was biggest this year

More than £5 million of heroin bound for a Shropshire industrial estate was the biggest seizure of class A drugs made this year, it was revealed today.

The heroin was initially believed to be worth more than £2 million but bosses from the UK Border Agency today revealed it was worth nearly three times that amount.

The 80kg of heroin was seized from a containment of chilli powder which arrived at the port of Felixstowe from Pakistan on November 9.

The heroin was seized and replaced. The container was then driven to Birmingham by an undercover officer from the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

The load was then directed from Birmingham to the Waymills Industrial Estate in Whitchurch where police and SOCA officers swooped.

UK Border Agency chiefs said the container was searched due to discrepancies in the paperwork.

Officers discovered 12 packages hidden in the chilli. Tests proved they contained heroin.

Six other sacks in the final row of the container were also found to have heroin hidden inside.

Brodie Clark, head of Border Force for the UK Border Agency, said: "This is a major seizure that reflects the robust controls we have in place at the UK border."

"Heroin is a dangerous class A drug that wrecks the lives not only of individual users, but also their families and the wider community.

"The UK Border Agency is responsible for inmigration and customs controls at the border. We will continue to fight the threat that drug smuggling poses to the UK."

Two men have been charged with the importation of class A drugs and three others have been bailed pending inquiries.