Britains largest-ever cannabis bust at Southampton Port - 12 tonnes found in two containers

On the 6th of May this year, Border Force officers seized a record 12 tonnes of cannabis in a single bust at Southampton Port. The cannabis was found in 1,200 boxes across two containers and three people from Wales were arrested in connection with the investigation. While the seizure itself happened in early May, details have only been made public in the last few days while the investigation progressed.

While the official valuation of the haul by Border Force is 139 Million most of us in the industry know that, at roughly £11,000 per kilo for Canadian flower, that is an inflated figure. What cant be disputed is the weight, at 12 tonnes this is Britains largest-ever cannabis bust, beating the previous record (set in 2017, also at Southampton Port) by 4 tonnes.

The investigation was launched after the Canada Border Service Agency identified the two containers in transit to Southampton Port and alerted UK Border Force. The containers were seized on the 6th May at Southampton Port and then on the 16th June officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit arrested 2 men and 1 woman in Wales on suspicion of facilitating the importations.

Acting Inspector Stuart Cumine from SWROCU said 'People need to understand that the criminals importing and supplying it [cannabis] are using the substantial profits to fund other criminality.' Which begs the question, why not support decriminalisation which would take the power and profit away from those criminals entirely?

The seizure comes after Border Force reported a record year for drug interceptions. In February of this year the Home Office announced that Border Force had seized nearly 150 tonnes of illegal drugs in the year to March 2025, with cannabis being present in 93% of all seizures. 

This also comes after the introduction of a pilot scheme last year to deport foreign cannabis smugglers from the UK. The 'Seize and Return' policy allows officers to return cannabis traffickers to their country of origin, often within hours of arriving. Latest reports suggest over 160 such people, responsible for importing 4 tonnes of cannabis, have been returned under the scheme.