Police charge two men over £10million drug haul after 100 kilos of cocaine was seized in the back of frozen fish van at UK port

• Border Force officers seized the haul from van at Newhaven Port in East Sussex 
• Jean-Pierre Labelle, 43, of Isle of Wight, charged with importing Class A drugs
• James Satterley, 50, from Berkshire, also charged with importing Class A drugs 

Two men have now been charged after Border Force officers seized £10million worth of cocaine from the back of a fish van as it arrived in the UK.

The 100 kilo haul of the Class A drug was found amongst frozen fish as the van arrived at Newhaven Port in East Sussex. 

Jean-Pierre Labelle was arrested after border police seized 97 packages each containing around a kilo of cocaine from the back of a van carrying frozen fish.

The 43-year-old was arrested in March after the haul of class A drugs were discovered last November. 

Labelle, from Ryde on the Isle of Wight, was charged with importing class A drugs on June 28. 

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Two men have now been charged after Border Force officers seized £10million worth of cocaine from the back of a fish van (pictured) as it arrived in the UK

After appearing at Newport Magistrates on the island the next day, he was remanded into custody until his next appearance at Lewes Crown Court in East Sussex on July 27.

James Satterley, 50, from Cookham in Maidenhead, Berkshire, was later charged with importing class A drugs. He now awaits a trial, the National Crime Agency said.

Peter Stevens, NCA branch commander, said: 'Working with partners like Border Force we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks involved in attempts to circumvent border controls.

'Illegal drugs are linked to violence on our streets and the exploitation of the vulnerable, that is why this type of crime is a priority for us.'

Tim Kingsberry, Border Force regional director, described the seizure as 'excellent' as it disrupted international drug smuggling.

He said: 'This was an excellent seizure by Border Force officers, who have prevented a large amount of lethal class A drugs from reaching the UK's streets.

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The huge haul of the Class A drug was found amongst frozen fish (pictured) as the van arrived at Newhaven Port in East Sussex

'Alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to do all we can to disrupt the international trade in drug smuggling.'

It comes after Border Force officers in France seized more than 260 kilos of cocaine in a lorry bound for the UK last month.

The haul, which had a potential street value of around £20 million, was discovered within a number of plywood boxes in a lorry carrying a consignment of car parts after it was intercepted at Coquelles on Tuesday.

The driver of the lorry, a Romanian national, was arrested on suspicion of importing Class A drugs and the investigation was passed to the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The driver was later released under investigation.