Seven men have been charged after £140 million worth of cocaine was seized as it entered Suffolk.

The drugs, which weighed 1.3 tonnes, were discovered in August last year in a shipping container at the Port of Felixstowe after they had arrived from Sierra Leone in west Africa. 

The class A drugs had a street value of £140 million and were hidden in 20 kilo sacks with a cover of load of flour. 

They were supposed to be delivered to an industrial estate in Wigan, Lancashire. 

National Crime Agency officers arrested nine suspects on Wednesday, November 29, and two men were released on bail.

Stephen Marland, 68 and of Lakeland Gardens in Chorley; Paul Mockett, 49 and of Stump Lane in Chorley; Darren Wetton, 55 and of Ashby Street in Chorley; Darryn Schofield, 44 and of no fixed abode; Neil Maguire 45 and of Kingsway Avenue in Broughton; and Paul O'Shea, 45 and of Edge Lane in Crosby, were charged with conspiring to supply cocaine between February 27, 2020 and November 29, 2023. 

Wetton was also charged with being concerned in the supply of cannabis between December 1, 2022 and December 10, 2022. 

Four men appeared at Wirral Magistrates' Court and three appeared at Blackburn Magistrates' Court today (November 30). 

All were remanded in custody except Wetton, who was bailed. 

They will all appear at Liverpool Crown Court on January 3, 2024.