THE car’s glovebox is opened and hidden switches are flicked, then a magnet is placed next to the steering wheel, causing the front seats to rise upwards.
The movement reveals a secret storage hole beneath, which stretches under the footwell.
But this modified family car is not something from a James Bond film, but a smuggler’s vehicle, crafted to transport millions of pounds-worth of Class A drugs across the English Channel for sale on our streets.
It is a sight all too familiar to Britain’s Border Force staff, who are encountering increasingly sophisticated ways of hiding drugs, cash, illegal cigarettes, guns and even people.
Border Force invited The Sun behind the scenes at the Port of Dover to see for ourselves the daily battles its staff face to keep our streets safe.
The agency’s South East Regional Director David Smith said: “We’re always broadening our techniques to make sure we stay one step ahead of the smugglers.
“Over the years, trends change and we’re always adapting to make sure we can find everything possible. Some of the concealments that are used to bring in illegal items are very technical.”
But thanks to its specialists at ports across the UK, Border Force is finding more contraband than ever.
The first six months of 2024 saw 92 per cent more illegal drugs intercepted, with 22,719 seizures, than in the same period in 2023.
This included 19 tonnes of cocaine and 412kg of ketamine, and the force has intercepted the largest batch of pink cocaine — a drug cocktail that can contain ketamine, ecstasy, meth and crack — headed for the UK.
Officers found 100kg of the new party drug hidden in a vehicle alongside 40kg of ketamine and 30kg of MDMA, or ecstasy, as it is known in tablet form.
David said: “Pink cocaine can be made from various drugs, like MDMA, ecstasy and ketamine, but we’re now seeing it being mixed with some very nasty drugs including [synthetic opioids] fentanyl and nitazenes.
“While it looks like a manufactured pill, you won’t know what you are getting.”
The substance, which is hugely popular in drug hotspots such as Ibiza, is still relatively rare in the UK.
Another smugglers’ vehicle discovered by the team was a white van with a hidden compartment under its wooden floor, which could only be opened by placing a magnet in a certain position.
We’re always broadening our techniques to stay one step ahead of the smugglers. Some of the concealments that are used to bring in illegal items are very technical
Border Force's David Smith
It was big enough to hide Class A drugs worth several million pounds.
The force also seized a gas canister which sounded as if it contained liquid, and released gas when the valve was opened, but had a hollow section that could fit up to 20kg of narcotics.
It was found when officers noticed wear and tear where it wasn’t expected.
It is not unusual to find a mixture of drugs destined for different British gangs once they arrive on UK soil.
David said: “Transporters of drugs are a bit like taxi services for gangs.
“Some organised crime groups don’t have a method of transportation, and it’s usually passed to a third party who sorts it. It means that we can find products for multiple gangs in one vehicle.”
In the first six months of this year Border Force also made 18,000 seizures of herbal cannabis, equalling 41 tonnes.
David has been working for Border Force for more than three decades and has seen a big change in the volume of party drugs trafficked to the UK.
He said: “We used to see a lot more Class B drugs but now the quantity of Class A coming in has massively increased.
“In the first six months of this year we have seized 19 tonnes of cocaine, which would have a street value of £425million. Getting these drugs in is big business for gangs.
“The 92 per cent increase we’ve seen compared to last year in the first six months is thanks to the dedicated officers. We have the most highly skilled officers anywhere in the world, and we work 24/7 to keep the UK safe.”
Vehicles which are chosen to be searched are selected with the help of technology, plus trained officers who can “read” the drivers’ and passengers’ behaviour — and a spot of four-legged assistance.
Transporters of drugs are a bit like taxi services for gangs
David
Among those working a shift when The Sun visited was two-year-old cocker spaniel Glenn, who demonstrated how quickly the dogs in the Dover team — other cocker spaniels, some springer spaniels and a Labrador — can find drugs.
It took him just seconds to identify a car boot as storing illegal substances, which he did simply by sitting down and looking at his handler.
But while the dogs are not always able to sniff out the contraband, a non-indication from them does not mean a search won’t take place.
The searches can be intelligence-led from tip-offs from Europol, Interpol or domestic police, and are also carried out when officers spot abnormalities and when drivers are spotted behaving strangely.
The Border Force agents are determined that nothing they come across will put them off their pursuit of the smugglers, no matter how bizarre it might seem.
And it doesn’t matter how disgusting the circumstances are either.
In a bid to avoid a search, some gangs cover their drugs in manure or grease, hoping it will hide the drugs’ smell from the dogs.
We were also shown a video which demonstrated how 225kg of methamphetamines, known on the streets as meth, had been placed inside an industrial magnet and welded shut.
Another showed how 16kg of cocaine had been concealed in a hidden section of a Hyundai’s boot which could only be opened using a certain set of switches.
It is not just the gangs’ contraband that is targeted by the Border Force staff.
They often seize their means of smuggling too, even when no drugs have been found.
David said: “Sometimes we detect vehicles that have been adapted for transporting drugs or money around the UK that are destined for county lines gangs.
The volume of drugs we’ve detected here and across the country this year shows that we are very good at what we do
David
“We often have vehicles brought to us from elsewhere in the UK to search and find the concealments within them.
“This is because our officers are some of the most highly trained in the world, and finding these compartments can be really tricky.
“The volume of drugs we’ve detected here and across the country this year shows that we are very good at what we do.
“We just want to stop the bad guys.”
Seema Malhotra, Minister for Migration and Citizenship, said: “Party drugs like pink cocaine are illegal and highly dangerous.
“Border Force are working around the clock to seize illegal drugs and help to keep our streets and our communities safer this Christmas party season.
“Thanks to their expertise and vigilance, they are successfully intercepting these dangerous substances at our borders with increasing success.
“Young people must be in no doubt about the harmful effects of the synthetic substances found in party drugs, which can often be a deadly concoction of chemicals that can have devastating consequences, ruining theirs and their loved ones’ lives.
“My message to people going out over the festive people is to stay safe, and to the evil criminals lining their pockets — you will be caught and will face the full force of the law.”
