Plane crew held over cocaine haul

The crew will by questioned by customs investigating officers

Fifteen crew members on a South African Airways (SAA) flight have been arrested after cocaine with a street value of £250,000 was seized at Heathrow.

The arrests were made by UK Border Agency officers at the London airport.

They uncovered five kilos (11lbs) of the Class A drug in a piece of baggage on the flight from Johannesburg.

Last month, 15 other SAA crew members were arrested after cocaine and cannabis was uncovered at Heathrow in a separate incident.

They have been granted unconditional bail and instructed to report back to Heathrow police station on 23 March.

The fifteen crew members detained on Monday are being held in custody.

They will later be questioned by HM Revenue and Customs officers, who are handling the investigation.

Bob Gaiger, spokesman for HM Revenue and Customs at Heathrow, said crew members were subject to the same customs checks as any other person when entering the UK.

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