Unusual failed drug smuggling methods discovered by the UK Border Agency include three woven baskets, which were used to transport 4kg of heroin worth about £100,000.

David Pryor, 72, of Wellingborough, was arrested at Heathrow Terminal 5 in August 2010 for stashing the drug in tubes which were woven into the baskets.

In August 2010, officers found 10kg of cocaine hidden in yams sent on a freight flight at Kent International Airport. A UK Border Agency spokesman said drug valuations were based on the purity of the drug and its street value at the time of seizure.

The vegetables, from Ghana, had been cut open to conceal the Class A drugs - worth about £500,000 - and glued back together.

In May 2010, metal drums containing powdered nuts were also found to conceal 33kg of cocaine - with a street value of £6.7m - when they were discovered at Heathrow while in transit from Mexico to Melbourne, Australia.

About 1kg of cocaine - worth some £70,000 - was found within air pockets inside glass ornaments at Coventry international postal hub in August 2010. The ornaments came in the form of miniature bottles and love hearts.