Man charged after ketamine worth £2m intercepted

A man has been charged after ketamine with an estimated street value of £2.1m was intercepted as it was being sent from the Netherlands to the UK.

West Yorkshire Police said Border Force officials found 125kg of the substance stashed in five cardboard boxes covered in expanding foam in a wooden crate.

A police investigation was launched and the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) arrested 45-year-old Joel Freeman on Tuesday.

Freeman, of Woodlands Village, Wakefield, was charged with conspiracy to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of a Class B drug. He appeared before Leeds Magistrates' Court where he was remanded in custody.

He is due to appear before Leeds Crown Court on 11 September.

A 46-year-old man was also arrested in Leeds as part of the operation and has since been released under investigation.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.