Suspected drug smugglers were arrested as they tried to land on a beach near Folkestone on Friday morning.

Four men were arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking offences in a swoop by Metropolitan police and the UK Borders Agency maritime operations unit.

The officers intercepted an inflatable boat landing on a beach near Folkestone in the early hours.

The boat was powered with two outboard engines and is thought by police to have arrived into the UK from France.

Police searched the boat and surrounding area, and recovered eight holdall bags of suspected drugs, thought to be in excess of 100 kilos, in a nearby lock-up container. The substances recovered are suspected to be cocaine, amphetamine and skunk cannabis.

All four men were taken into custody at Ashford Police Station.

Det Insp Grant Johnson of the Met Police said: "Today’s interception has significantly disrupted what we believe was a large shipment of class A, B and C drugs headed for the streets of London."