Foreign witnesses could give evidence in British trials by video links under new plans to be discussed by European justice ministers today.
International video links are expected to become more common as police and Customs officials increasingly work with their overseas counterparts to try to break up drugs gangs which operate across Europe.
So far this year, British Customs working with foreign colleagues have seized drugs with a street value of #66m, including 62kg of heroin, 700kg of cocaine and four tonnes of cannabis, officials disclosed today.
A Home Office official said: ''There's a whole range of reasons why it might not be appropriate for a witness to travel, but we still want access to his evidence.''
At present, agreements to set up video links between countries have to be negotiated for each case.
But EU ministers, including Home Secretary Jack Straw, meeting in Brussels will try to set up an EU-wide agreement on such live links.
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