Cocaine with a street value of £2.7million has been seized after police disrupted a drugs ring.
Detectives pulled over and searched a car with a sniffer dog after following it from New Barn Street in Plaistow on Monday evening.
They found seven blocks of what is believed to be cocaine concealed in hidden compartments.
Officers also recovered a key for a Mercedes, tracked to an address in north London, in which they found £50,000 in cash.
A further address in Jutland Road was later searched, where two more blocks of cocaine were discovered, bringing the total weight of drugs seized to 12kg.
Det Insp Steve Miles, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “We have uncovered a highly sophisticated crime network involved in the distribution of drugs and money-laundering on a large scale.”
Two men, aged 24 and 27, were arrested in the car on suspicion of possession with intent to supply drugs, being concerned in the supply of drugs and money laundering. A further three men were arrested at the address in north London.
All five men remain in custody at an east London police station.
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