Met seizes biggest cannabis haul: five tonnes in furniture cargo, nine held
Customs and Metropolitan Police officers seized more than five tonnes of cannabis hidden in furniture and artefacts imported from Mexico at an east-coast port on 6 October 2005, calling it the Met's biggest seizure with a street value of about £12 million. Nine people were arrested at addresses across London and in Essex.
On the morning of Thursday 6 October 2005, customs officers and the Metropolitan Police
found more than five tonnes of cannabis hidden inside a cargo of furniture and artefacts
imported from Mexico at a port on England’s east coast.[1]The haul, with an estimated
street value of £12 million, was described as the biggest cannabis seizure the force had
made.[1][2]
Six men aged 26 to 52 and two women aged 31 and 42 were arrested at addresses across
London early that Thursday, and a 43-year-old man was later arrested in Essex, making
nine arrests in total.[1][2]Police said the raids were part of a long-planned operation
against gangs suspected of supplying drugs in London.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Hampshire police seized cannabis, a mobile phone and almost £400 in cash from the passenger of a vehicle in Southampton during a stop for suspected drug-related activity, part of Operation Enduro. No weight was given for the cannabis and no arrests were reported.
A fire above a shop on Spring Bank in Hull on the morning of Saturday 7 November 2026 led emergency services to more than 500 suspected cannabis plants on two floors of the upper residential area. Humberside Police kept a scene guard at the building and said officers were still trying to identify those involved.
Gwent Police Special officers seized a quantity of cannabis during a stop search in Newport city centre. The search was carried out under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act during proactive patrols.
Police patrolling Reading on Halloween night found a cannabis grinder, fireworks and a pair of AirPods left at Rabsons Recreation Ground by a group that ran off when officers arrived. No one was detained over the grinder, and police appealed for the AirPods' owner.
