Five men face court after £50m cocaine haul found on private jet

Two British brothers have been charged with importing cocaine after half a tonne of the Class A drug with an estimated street value of more than £50 million was found on a private jet.

The discovery is believed to be one of the largest recent seizures of its kind.

Martin James Neil, 48, and Stephen John Neil, 53, from Poole, Dorset, have been charged along with two Spaniards and an Italian national.

The five men were arrested after the twin-engined jet was searched when it landed at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire from Bogota in Colombia on Monday.

The Border Force said the drug was hidden in 15 suitcases which were found on board.

Following the arrests National Crime Agency operations manager Siobhan Micklethwaite said described the seizure as “major”, adding that it was “one of the largest flown into the UK by plane in many years”.

The aircraft crew were questioned before being released without charge.

The Neil brothers, both of Bournemouth Road in Poole, are due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning, alongside Italian national Alessandro Iembo, 28, of Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, and Spanish nationals Victor Franco-Lorenzo, 40, and 55-year-old Jose Ramon Miguelez-Botas.