A 22-year-old man from Gillingham has been charged with drug smuggling after officers at Dover seized amphetamine and cocaine worth an estimated £400,000.

The drugs were discovered last Wednesday when officers at Dover’s Eastern Docks inward tourist controls stopped and searched a British-registered van. The drugs were found in the floor of the vehicle.

Thomas John Mayes, from Kemsley Street, Bredhurst, appeared at Canterbury Magistrates Court on Friday, charged with the importation.

He withheld his plea and was remanded in custody. Mr Mayes will next appear at Canterbury Crown Court on March 10.

The amphetamine had an estimated value of £300,000 and the cocaine, once cut and sold on the streets, £100,000.

Following the seizure by Border Force, the investigation and prosecution are being carried out by the National Crime Agency.

Paul Morgan, director of Border Force South East and Europe said: “Cocaine and amphetamine are vile and destructive drugs, which ruin the lives of users and the wider community.

"In making this seizure Border Force officers have prevented harmful drugs from reaching the streets of the UK.”