HULL, England -- A British flower merchant is accused of importing £4.5 million ($7 million) worth of cocaine into the UK in a huge shipment of Valentine's Day blooms.

Flower trader Gary Pattison was arrested after 84 kilograms of cocaine were found stashed among fresh blossoms in a delivery truck traveling from Rotterdam to the northern English city of Hull.

The flowers were intended to provide the florists Pattison supplies with enough stock to meet demand Feb. 14, the Hull Daily Mail reported Tuesday.

But the shipment was intercepted Friday in a dawn raid by officers from the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency and the UK Border Agency.

Pattison, 51, was arrested and charged with the importation of controlled drugs. He appeared at Hull Magistrates' Court and was remanded in custody until later this month.

Click here for more on this story from the Hull Daily Mail.