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A Bristol man has been charged with drug offenses following his arrest by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers after 22kg of cocaine was found inside tins of imported fruit. Derick Everton Grant, 52, is the director of a food import company which allegedly arranged for the shipment on 10 pallets of ackee, Jamaica’s national fruit, imported to Portbury Dock, Bristol.

When Border Force officers diligently searched the shipment on Friday (March 17), they found several boxes in which the cans were filled with cocaine instead of fruit. The attempted importation of the drug has a potential street value of around £1.75m.

Grant was arrested on Monday morning (March 20) after leaving a flat on Broomhill Road. Grant was carrying a bag containing his passport, a large amount of cash and two high-value watches, the NCA said.

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Two other people from the Bristol area, a 41-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman, were also arrested on March 20. Both were released on bail after the interviews.

Anthony Hubbard, NCA operations manager, said: “This operation will have a significant impact on the supply of illegal drugs in the Bristol area. It is an excellent example of what we achieve through collaboration, working with law enforcement partners to disrupt criminal activity and protect UK border security.

“We share a determination to crack down on criminal exploitation of our ports and yesterday’s operation demonstrates that in action, and I want to thank the partners who worked with us. Our investigation continues.”

The operation was supported by the Border Force, Avon and Somerset Police, the South West Regional Organized Crime Unit and HMRC.

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