A DUTCH national will appear in court charged with drug smuggling after a massive drugs haul worth an estimated £1.5m were discovered an a North-east ferry terminal.

Heroin, cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines were found in the back of a lorry stopped at the Port of Tyne terminal on December 7.

Border Force officers stopped the lorry as it came off a ferry from Ijmuiden in the Netherlands.

After initial checks on documentation, the trailer was searched and officers discovered 110kg of heroin and cocaine, 170kg of cannabis and 50kg of amphetamine were discovered.

Johannes Huizer, 57, was charged with importation of Class A and Class B drugs and appeared before North Tyneside Magistrates on December 17.

He was remanded in custody until his next appearance at Newcastle Crown Court on January 2.

Christine Brown, Assistant Director for Border Force, said: "This was an excellent seizure by our officers and it has kept a large amount of harmful drugs off our streets.

"We will continue to work hard to keep our borders safe and crack down on drug smuggling."

Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling is asked to call the Border Force hotline on 0800 59 5000.