Three Scots arrested after £40m of cocaine seized from the back of a van

Three Scots have been arrested after the seizure of £40m worth of cocaine from the back of a van.

Anthony McAllister, 32 from Taynuilt, Daniel Livingstone, 24, of Campbeltown, Mark Moran, 22, of Ardrishaig and a 39-year-old Colombian national named Didier Javier Tordecilla Reyes have been charged with the importation of class A drugs in Humberside.

Around 500 kilos of cocaine with a street value of around £40m was found in the back of a Vauxhall Vivaro in the car park of the Stags Head in, Lilley.

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It's alleged the men transferred the drugs from a larger vessel sailing off the coast of Hull using a dinghy, which was later found abandoned on rocks at Easington Beach.

The raid was carried out by the National Crime Agency, with support from Humberside Police, the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit and Border Force.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Alan French said: “This was a significant amount of cocaine and its seizure will be a sizeable blow to the organised crime group which attempted to smuggle it into the UK.

“There’s no doubt these drugs would have been sold into communities around the UK, fuelling further crime and exploitation.

“Working with our law enforcement partners we are determined to do all we can to disrupt criminal activity, and protect the UK’s border security.

“Our investigation continues following these arrests.”