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A shipment of 943 kilograms of cocaine originating from Nicaragua was intercepted by British authorities on the night of Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at the port of Southampton, in Hampshire County, United Kingdom.
British media reported that the drugs were found hidden inside a container transporting plantains, which had departed from Nicaragua to Panama with the United Kingdom as its final destination.
The UK National Crime Agency and UK Border Force estimate that the seized drugs are worth approximately £75 million—more than US $100 million.
So far, British authorities have not disclosed the name of the Nicaraguan export company responsible for the shipment of bananas in which the 943 kilograms of cocaine were hidden.
Images released by the NCA show that the drugs were wrapped in black plastic and stacked in blocks next to plastic pallets filled with bananas.
Two people arrested for drug trafficking
Two men were arrested in the operation, identified as Daniel Dumitru, 37, a resident of Reginald Road, Smethwick, West Midlands, and Andrew Smyth, 46, a resident of West Park Gardens, Prenton, Merseyside, according to the National Crime Agency.
Both detainees will be charged with the importation of “Class A” drugs and are expected to appear on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at Southampton Magistrates’ Court.
Saju Sasikumar, a division commander at the National Crime Agency, stated that “this is a huge quantity of cocaine that was destined for the streets of the United Kingdom.”
“The supply of Class A drugs causes serious harm to society by generating violence and addiction in our communities,” the British official added.
He also noted that the “seizure of these drugs deprives the criminal group responsible for their importation of enormous profits that cannot be reinvested into further criminal activity.”
Nicaragua as the Origin of Drug Shipments
The 940-kilogram shipment is the second largest seized originating from Nicaragua. In January 2024, Russian security forces confiscated a container with more than a ton of cocaine from Nicaragua at the Port of St. Petersburg.
The value of the shipment on the European black market exceeds $122 million, according to the Russian Federal Customs Service. No Nicaraguan authorities have commented on the seizure.
Additionally, between late 2025 and early 2026, security authorities in El Salvador have pointed to Nicaragua as the origin of several drug shipments seized along Salvadoran coasts.
In posts on social media, El Salvador’s Minister of Public Security and Justice, Gustavo Villatoro, indicated that at least four vessels carrying drugs had come from Nicaraguan waters.
Minister Villatoro “has repeatedly stated on four occasions that these drug shipments originate from Nicaraguan territory, which we categorically reject,” said Nicaragua’s Army General Command in a statement.
