FOUR people have been arrested after a shipping container delivered to a farm near Bridgwater was found to contain 189 kilos of cocaine.

An investigation began in April after the drugs reached Somerset in a container carrying animal feed that had travelled from Columbia to London Gateway port.

Last week, seven warrants were carried out at properties in West London, which led to four men being arrested and a further 49 kilos of cocaine being seized from a container of oranges imported from South Africa to the Port of Felixstowe.

The investigation was led by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) and supported by the Metropolitan Police Service, the UK Border Force, the HMRC, and the NCA.

One man from Southall, Ealing, has been charged with conspiring to import class A drugs and is remanded in custody.

Three other men from West London, aged 31, 51, and 60, have been released while the investigation continues.

DCI Paul Fisher from the SWROCU said: “Our investigation has prevented a huge amount of high purity class A drugs from ending up on our streets, reducing both the threat to communities and the profits of the organised criminals importing and supplying them.

“The national ROCU network continues to work tirelessly with police forces and law enforcement partners to protect the security and integrity of the UK border.”