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Customs lose huge drugs haul

Nigel Morris
Sunday 16 December 2007 20:00 EST

Ministers faced fresh embarrassment after contraband thought to include cocaine and fake passports vanished from a secure customs warehouse.

The disappearance was a new blow to the embattled HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) after it lost two discs containing the personal details of 25 million people in the child benefits system.

The seized drugs, worth 80,000, and other goods went missing from an HMRC store at Coventry Airport. Detectives are investigating if the items were stolen or have been lost.

George Osborne, the shadow Chancellor, said: "This is yet another disaster from HMRC, a shocking security breach."

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