A man of 60 has been arrested in Sussex in connection with the seizure of £500,000 of suspected drugs money.

He was detained at an address in Handcross, near Haywards Heath, yesterday by officers from the National Crime Squad (NCS).

Two other men, one 60 and the other 30, were arrested in Swindon, Wiltshire. Sussex officers assisted with the operation.

It followed the recovery of £500,000 at addresses in London as part of an operation in partnership with Customs and Excise.

The operation was launched last year and focuses on the trafficking of cocaine and other drugs to the UK from the Continent.

The NCS has been working with authorities in Belgium, where several men were arrested after dozens of kilos of cocaine and a large amount of cannabis with a street value of several million pounds were seized.

Details were only released after yesterday's arrests.

Detective Chief Inspector Trevor Symes, of the NCS, said: "We believe a sophisticated importation network responsible for bringing large amounts of drugs into the South-West has now been dismantled.

"We have worked very closely with Customs and other partners on this complex and sensitive inquiry."