Along the edges of Liverpool's docks, where commerce and concealment have long kept uneasy company, two lorries were stopped within moments of each other on a November evening — and what officers found inside spoke to something larger than two men and a cargo. The seizure of five kilograms of cocaine from vehicles linked to the same small town in Northern Ireland suggests not an isolated act of opportunism, but a thread in a wider web of trafficking that moves through the port's daily rhythms. In disrupting it, investigators have opened a question that rarely closes quickly: how deep does the
5kg cocaine haul seized in Border Force raid near Liverpool docks
Five kilograms hidden in a lorry near the docks
Mark
So two lorries, two arrests, both men from the same place in Northern Ireland. Is that a coincidence, or does it suggest an organized operation?
Mimi
The police statement says a joint investigation is ongoing, which tells you they're treating them as connected. But the charges are different—one for possession with intent to supply, the other for conspiracy. That suggests different roles.
Luke
We should be careful here. We know two men were arrested near the docks on the same evening. We know one was charged and remanded, the other released on bail. But the source doesn't actually explain what the connection is or confirm they were working together. That's inference, not fact.
Mark
Fair point. What about the five kilograms itself—is that a large seizure for this area?
Mimi
In absolute terms, yes. Five kilograms is significant. But the source doesn't give us context about typical seizures at Liverpool docks or how this compares to other operations, so we can't really say whether this was routine or exceptional.
Luke
Exactly. We know the weight, we know where it was found, we know who was arrested. Anything beyond that is speculation.
Mark
And the Northern Ireland connection—is there something specific about Kilkeel, or is that just where these two men happened to be from?
Mimi
The source doesn't tell us. It names the town twice, which suggests it might be significant to investigators, but we're not told why. It could be a known trafficking hub, or it could just be coincidence.
Luke
Or it could be that both men lived there but the operation was based elsewhere entirely. We simply don't know from what's reported here.
Mark
So what's actually confirmed versus what's still open?
Mimi
Confirmed: the seizure, the arrests, the charges, the court appearance, the remand decision, the bail decision. Open: the nature of the connection between the two men, whether there are other suspects, where the cocaine was headed, how it entered the country.
The Pulse
- A routine vehicle check on Princess Way in Seaforth on November 13 escalated swiftly when drug dogs uncovered five kilograms of cocaine hidden inside a lorry near Liverpool's docks.
- The driver, Andrew Cousins, 30, from Kilkeel in Northern Ireland, was arrested on the spot and later charged with possession with intent to supply a Class A drug — serious enough to see him remanded in custody until December.
- Officers did not stop there: a second lorry was intercepted shortly after on Derby Road in Bootle, and a second 30-year-old man from the same small Northern Irish town was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply.
- The two stops, the shared hometown, and the coordinated timing have led investigators to treat the seizures as connected — a joint inquiry is now underway, though its full scope has not been disclosed.
- Merseyside Police have appealed to the public for information, framing community intelligence as essential to dismantling the trafficking operation they believe they have only partially uncovered.
Along the edges of Liverpool's docks, where commerce and concealment have long kept uneasy company, two lorries were stopped within moments of each other on a November evening — and what officers found inside spoke to something larger than two men and a cargo. The seizure of five kilograms of cocaine from vehicles linked to the same small town in Northern Ireland suggests not an isolated act of opportunism, but a thread in a wider web of trafficking that moves through the port's daily rhythms. In disrupting it, investigators have opened a question that rarely closes quickly: how deep does the network run?
On the evening of November 13, a lorry travelling along Princess Way in Seaforth was stopped by Border Force officers and Merseyside Police near Liverpool's docks. What followed a routine check became a significant find: five kilograms of cocaine, uncovered after a thorough search with drug dogs. The driver, Andrew Cousins — a 30-year-old from Kilkeel in Northern Ireland — was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug. He later appeared before Liverpool Crown Court, where he was formally charged and remanded in custody until mid-December.
The operation did not end there. Shortly after the first stop, officers moved on a second lorry on Derby Road in Bootle. A second man, also 30 and also from Kilkeel, was arrested — this time on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. He was released on police bail pending further investigation.
The proximity of the two stops, the shared charge of drug trafficking, and the fact that both suspects hailed from the same small Northern Irish town led investigators to treat the cases as connected. A joint investigation is underway, though its scope remains undisclosed. Police have appealed to the public for any information about how narcotics are being moved through the region — a signal that what was seized may be only part of a larger picture.
On the evening of November 13, police and Border Force officers stopped a lorry traveling along Princess Way in Seaforth, near Liverpool's docks. What began as a routine vehicle check became a significant drug seizure when officers and their dogs conducted a thorough search of the heavy goods vehicle. Hidden inside was five kilograms of cocaine—enough to trigger serious criminal charges and set in motion a larger investigation into drug trafficking networks operating through the port.
The driver of that first lorry, a 30-year-old man named Andrew Cousins from Kilkeel in Northern Ireland, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug. Within days, he appeared before Liverpool Crown Court, where he was formally charged. The court remanded him in custody, holding him until mid-December while the case proceeded.
But the operation did not end with that single stop. Shortly after the first lorry was pulled over, officers moved to a second HGV on Derby Road in Bootle, a few miles away. There they arrested another 30-year-old man, also from Kilkeel. This second arrest carried a different charge: conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Unlike Cousins, this man was released on police bail, pending further investigation and a return date scheduled for the following month.
The coordinated nature of the two stops—one following closely after the other, both targeting vehicles in the same general area, both involving suspects from the same small town in Northern Ireland—suggested to investigators that the seizures were connected. Merseyside Police confirmed that a joint investigation was underway, though details about the scope or direction of that inquiry were not disclosed.
In a statement, police appealed to the public for information about drug movements through the region. They asked anyone with knowledge of how narcotics were being transported, where they were being moved, or who was involved in the trade to come forward. The message was framed as essential to community safety—a standard appeal in drug cases, but one that underscored how seriously officers viewed the trafficking operation they had disrupted.
Notable Quotes
Anyone that knows the whereabouts of drugs, how they are being transported from place to place and who is involved in this, should get in touch as a matter of urgency to keep our communities safe.— Merseyside Police spokesperson
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