Two men have been charged with separate attempted drug importations at the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel.

The first incident happened on December 15, when Border Force officers at the Channel Tunnel entrance in Coquelles, France, stopped a Dutch-registered Rover car and questioned the driver, Martinus Verhoeven.

They searched the vehicle and found approximately two kilos of crystalline MDMA (Ecstasy) with an estimated street value of £80,000.

Mr Verhoeven, a Dutch national, was arrested and the investigation was passed to the National Crime Agency (NCA).

He was later charged with the attempted drugs importation.

He pleaded not guilty at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody until his next appearance on January 5, 2015 at Canterbury Crown Court.

A separate MDMA seizure was made on the same day, this time at Dover’s Eastern Docks, when officers stopped a Polish-registered VW Passat.

The driver, Jakub Kowalewski, was questioned and the car searched.

Officers discovered approximately two kilos of ecstasy tablets and one kilo of crystalline MDMA, with a combined estimated street value of £120,000.

Mr Kowalewski, from Poland, was arrested and the investigation adopted by the NCA.

He was charged with the attempted importation and appeared at Folkestone Magistrates Court where he withheld his plea.

He was remanded in custody and will also appear on January 5 at Canterbury Crown Court.

Inquiries by the NCA into both cases are continuing.

Paul Morgan, director of Border Force South East and Europe said:“Seizures like these demonstrate how Border Force officers are at the forefront of the fight to keep illegal drugs and other banned substances out of the UK.

“Working with law enforcement colleagues like the NCA we are determined to do all we can to prevent drug trafficking and put those responsible behind bars.”

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

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