The newly established British National Crime Agency (NCA) seized cocaine worth around £3 million, or about US$4 million, on Monday, the NCA announced in a news brief.

Officers from the NCA and the Metropolitan Police Service raided a location in Rainham, East London, arresting four men aged between 25 and 37 and seizing 18 kilograms of cocaine.  Officers found drugs in a truck parked nearby that was registered in Slovenia.  The NCA noted that the cocaine was of high purity.

Law enforcement officials had monitored the vehicle since it entered the UK through the port of Dover.  The officers, from the NCA and the Metropolitan Police, have joined forces as the Middle Market Drugs Partnership.

Police also arrested 12 suspects in Slovenia in related raids.

The NCA was criticized as a mere rebranding of the UK's previous anti-crime agency, the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA), when it was established on October 7.  Officials working for the agency have promised to effectively combat crime despite a significantly lower budget than SOCA.

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