On 14 June 2025, one of the largest drug seizures ever recorded in the UK took place at the London Gateway container terminal. British authorities intercepted 2.4 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a container from Panama, with an estimated street value of £96 million. The operation, carried out by the Border Force with direct support from terminal operator DP World, involved the movement of 37 containers to locate and retrieve the cargo, which consisted of 2,022 packages concealed in a 22-foot container. It ranks as the sixth largest drug seizure in British history, at a time when cocaine trafficking is reaching increasingly alarming levels.
London Gateway has become a key logistics hub for the British economy. Located just 45 kilometres from London and operated by DP World, it is the country’s third busiest container port, with an annual capacity of 2.4 million TEUs. Its geographic position and integration with road and rail networks make it an ideal entry point for illegal trafficking.
The United Kingdom is one of Europe’s most active markets for cocaine consumption, with an estimated domestic value of £4 billion per year and over 976,000 regular users. Between 2023 and 2024, cocaine seizures in England and Wales exceeded 21,500 cases, accounting for nearly 10 per cent of all drug-related seizures. Particularly concerning is the rise in deaths, which increased from 112 in 2011 to 1,118 in 2023, with a 30.5 per cent rise in a single year, largely attributed to the higher purity of the substance available on the market.
The London Gateway seizure forms part of a series of extraordinary operations that highlight the intensification of enforcement efforts. The British record remains a seizure made in Southampton in February 2024, amounting to 5.7 tonnes of cocaine, while other significant interventions have been reported in recent years in both England and Scotland.
The container seized at London Gateway originated from Panama, which remains one of the main hubs for cocaine trafficking into Europe. With six concessioned ports and around fifty criminal groups operating steadily across its territory, Panama intercepted over 138 tonnes of drugs in 2022 alone. The Panama Canal, a key artery for global trade, is particularly well-suited to the concealment of illicit shipments among legitimate goods. Authorities estimate that about 35 per cent of the cocaine reaching the European continent passes through this route.
Between 2019 and 2024, European ports recorded a total of more than 1,244 tonnes of drug seizures. Antwerp stands out as the main entry point for cocaine into Europe, with 443 tonnes seized, followed by Rotterdam with 181 tonnes and Spanish ports with a combined total of 388 tonnes. Italy accounted for 70 tonnes, while Germany recorded 47. Some 83 per cent of interceptions occurred on container ships, often involving increasingly sophisticated concealment techniques.
To counter these threats, the Border Force has enhanced its technological arsenal. Artificial intelligence systems are being deployed to detect anomalies in X-ray images, shortening inspection times without compromising effectiveness. The intelligence-led approach allows resources to be focused on high-risk shipments through the cross-referencing of information gathered from various sources.
