A man from Gravesend will appear in court charged over a £10 million cocaine seizure.

The 43-year-old, who is not being named at this stage, was one of three men charged after 280 kilograms of the Class A drug were uncovered at an industrial address.

It is the biggest ever land-based seizure of drugs in the Eastern region of the UK and follows two other huge busts totalling £20m at Dover last month.

The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) supported by specialists from Kent and Essex Police made the find on Sunday as part of an ongoing investigation into serious and organised crime.

Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Parkes, from ERSOU, said: “This proactive operation has prevented a huge quantity of drugs from ever entering the communities in our region.

“Drugs blight our communities in all manner of ways, driving offending from burglary and anti-social behaviour through to knife crime and other serious violence.

“Our aim is to focus on the major players involved in drugs supply and remove their ability to profit off the misery of others.”

The men, the other two in their 40s and 50s and from Essex, have now been charged with conspiracy to supply and remanded into custody pending a future court appearance.

Four other men have been released on bail.

Detective Inspector James Panter said: “The significant discovery of 280 kilograms of Class A drugs is a fantastic result for our team.

“This is testimony to the hard work and tenacity of our officers and partners as they continue to carry out operations to tackle organised crime, even during these challenging times.”

During lockdown the National Crime Agency and other law enforcement agencies have seized more than 25 tonnes of Class A drugs and £15 million in cash.

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