A huge haul of heroin has been seized from an item of luggage at Leeds Bradford Airport.

Up to 10kg of the class A drug, worth almost £800,000, was discovered when passengers’ luggage was checked following the arrival of a flight from Amsterdam, Holland.

A 20-year-old man has been arrested and charged with the importation of heroin as a result of the find.

The seizure was made by officers from the UK Border Agency and enquiries are continuing into the case. According to a statement released by the Agency, the illegal substance was found packed into a soft-sided section of a single piece of luggage.

Andy Lumb, assistant director of the Agency, hailed the detection of the stash and subsequent arrest of the suspect.

“This haul shows the checks we carry out at Leeds Bradford are robust,” he said.

“We search for a range of items, including drugs and weapons as well as cigarettes and tobacco, to keep our border secure.”

The intended use of the seized heroin is under investigation but Mr Lumb said its importation may have interrupted a major, organised, criminal operation.

He said: “Heroin is an illegal and dangerous substance and the smuggling of such drugs is often linked to serious organised crime. The UK Border Agency, in partnership with other agencies, will not hesitate to take strong action against those involved in smuggling.”

The UK Border Agency’s Border Force is a dedicated team of officers exercising powers for immigration and customs functions working as a single force, side-by-side to prevent illegal migration and smuggling of illegal goods at the UK border.

Border Force officers interview arriving passengers to identify possible immigration offenders and are equipped with the latest hi-tech equipment which includes X-ray machines and detector dogs to identify smuggled goods in passengers’ luggage.

Anyone who suspects that someone may be involved in drug smuggling should contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.