Two men charged after '£2m of cocaine found in plane' at North Weald Airfield

AROUND 30kgs of cocaine with a street value of more than £2 million was found in a plane that flew into North Weald Airfield.

The drugs were discovered after Border Force officers met the plane arriving into North Weald airfield near Epping from France on Thursday evening.

The aircraft had flown into the country from northern France. Following a search, packages of cocaine were found underneath a seat on the aircraft, and an investigation was launched by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Two men were arrested.

NCA branch operations manager Paul Orchard said. "Working with colleagues at Border Force we are determined to do all we can to protect the public and disrupt the criminal networks involved in bringing narcotics into the UK.

"To do that we need the public’s support, and I’d ask anyone who lives or works near a small airfield to report any suspicious activity to the police."

On Saturday, March 22, Anastasios Balian, 52, of Milton Court, Cheshunt, and Errol Weir, 49, of Shifford Path, Lewisham, were charged with the importation of class A drugs.

They were due to appear before Chelmsford Magistrates the same day.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Border Force seized and prevented 30kg of cocaine from causing harm on our streets, and are fully committed to disrupt the criminal networks behind this trade.

"We continue to work closely with law enforcement partners, including the NCA, to keep our borders secure.”