Three people have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to smuggle millions of pounds worth of cocaine and heroin into the UK by helicopter.

A 38-year-old man from the North Kensington area of London was arrested on the M26 as part of a joint operation involving the National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

MPS officers seized around 40 kilos of cocaine and 60 kilos of heroin from a car on the motorway yesterday.

A short time later NCA officers moved in to arrest two Dutch nationals aged 26 and 27 at Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey.

The pair had flown in to Redhill in a helicopter from Belgium earlier in the day.

All three are now being questioned by investigators and items seized during the operation are being examined. The helicopter has also been impounded.

Gary Fennelly, head of NCA’s Gatwick border investigation team, said: “This international operation has successfully prevented a large quantity of class A drugs making it onto the streets of the UK. If cut and sold it is likely this haul would have had a potential street value in excess of £10 million.

“Working with partners like the MPS we are determined to do all we can to disrupt the organised crime networks involved in drug trafficking.”