Four arrested after half a tonne of cocaine worth £40m is found in village pub car park

Four men have been arrested after half a tonne of cocaine worth £40m was found in a village pub car park.   

They were detained by National Crime Agency officers on suspicion of conspiracy to import class A drugs at around 8.30am yesterday in Lelley, East Yorkshire.

The arrests come after the discovery of around 500 kilos of cocaine in the back of a van in the car park of the Stags Head Inn in Lelley.

The pub declined to comment but a source close to the premises stressed that the find was in no way connected to any members of staff.  

Officers believe that the drugs had been transferred from a larger vessel sailing off the coast of Hull in East Yorkshire using a rigid-hulled inflatable boat just a few hours before. 

The smaller boat was found abandoned on rocks at Easington Beach, County Durham.

The men, three from Scotland and one from Colombia, now remain in police custody.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Alan French said: 'This was a significant amount of cocaine and its seizure will be a sizeable blow to the organised crime group which attempted to smuggle it into the UK.

'There's no doubt these drugs would have been sold into communities around the UK, fuelling further crime and exploitation.

'Working with our law enforcement partners we are determined to do all we can to disrupt criminal activity, and protect the UK's border security.

'Our investigation continues following these arrests.'

The NCA operation was supported by Humberside Police, the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit and Border Force.