A man who was arrested after cocaine with an estimated street value of £8million was found in a lorry container has been cross examined in court.

Prosecutor Jane Oldfield questioned 49-year-old Vitali Macari of Iasi, Romania, in Ipswich Crown Court on Friday.

He has pleaded not guilty to being concerned in carrying, concealing or dealing cocaine with intent to evade the prohibition on importing the drug in March 2023.

Police officers were called to a premises in Iceni Way, Haverhill, last March after a hidden compartment was discovered as a container was being unloaded.

The container was taken to a secure location where search and forensic inquiries took place. 

Seventy-five packages of cocaine with a potential street value of more than £8m were recovered.

On Friday, Miss Oldfield put it to him that he stopped at an industrial estate and picked up the drugs before loading up with yoghurts for delivery to the UK.

The lorry was found by police with a modification, a metal wall across the width of the lorry’s trailer to stash the drugs.

Referencing an image presented to the jury of drugs behind the metal wall Miss Oldfield asked Macari: “Did you ever see any packages at the bottom of the metal wall like this?”

Marcari denied he had.

The prosecutor then said: “Were these drugs loaded onto your trailer behind the metal wall at the estate on the 1 March?”

“No. I don’t know, of course not” he responded.

“Is the truth that you were present and aware that these drugs were being placed onto your lorry trailer?”

“No this is false,” the defendant said.

The trial will continue next week and will see the prosecution and defence make their closing speeches, before the jury begins their deliberations.

The trial continues.