A man has been arrested in an investigation into the smuggling of almost a quarter of a tonne of cocaine on a bus.

The coach was stopped at Dover last year and two others in this case have already been jailed.

The 45-year-old was detained as he stepped off a flight from Spain at Glasgow Prestwick Airport yesterday (Saturday).

The suspect, from Irvine in North Ayrshire, was arrested by the National Crime Agency.

He was transported to Carlisle Police Station where he was questioned by investigators, before being released under investigation.

Driver Christopher Bullows, from Lord Street, St Helens, Merseyside, and his passenger Mark Tucker, from Longshaw Street, Blackburn, were arrested after their coach was stopped at Dover docks in September 2020.

A search by the Border Force uncovered the cocaine hidden in a specially constructed wastewater tank. The drugs would have been worth around £19.4 million if sold on the streets of the UK.

In July, Tucker was jailed for 16 years and Bullows for 14 years and four months at Canterbury Crown Court.

NCA branch commander Mark McCormack said: “This was a significant amount of cocaine and our investigation into this smuggling attempt continues.

“Drugs fuel violence and exploitation in our communities, and those involved in smuggling into the UK play a key role in that chain of criminality. We will do all we can to disrupt and dismantle the organised crime groups involved.”

Read more: All the latest news from Dover