- The Iberian police forces announced the big drug bust on Wednesday
- They said joint operation that unfolded over several months led to nine arrests
- Police said the gang had allegedly transported cocaine from South America
A Colombian drug smuggling ring has been busted by Spanish and Portugese police, who seized hundreds of kilograms of cocaine hidden inside fresh pineapples.
The Iberian police forces announced the big drug bust on Wednesday after arresting nine members of a gang that allegedly transported the drug from South America.
They said a joint operation that unfolded over several months led to the arrests and broke up an international smuggling ring led by Colombians.
A Colombian drug smuggling ring has been busted by Spanish and Portugese police, who seized hundreds of kilograms of cocaine hidden inside fresh pineapples. Above, the 745kg of cocaine seized
The seizure, from shipping containers, was part of an ongoing investigation across both countries that started April 2017, police said on Wednesday.
It culminated in the seizure of 745kg (1,642 pounds) of cocaine, much of it allegedly concealed inside pineapples.
Police also dismantled a laboratory where the drug was cut with additives.
‘This organised international group had repeatedly brought large quantities of cocaine to the European continent,’ Portuguese investigators said in a statement.
The Iberian police forces announced the big drug bust on Wednesday after arresting nine members of a gang that allegedly transported the drug from South America
In November, Spanish police discovered almost 400kg (880 pounds) of cocaine in Madrid and Barcelona.
They say that led to an import company shipping fruit from Panama to Portugal and to a search of ships at the port of Lisbon.
The searches uncovered wax-covered cylinders hidden inside pineapples and containing more than 300kg (660 pounds) of cocaine in all.
Also seized was 400,000 euros ($489,000) in cash.
The Iberian Peninsula is a major entry point for cocaine and other drugs to Europe, either directly from Latin America or via North and West Africa.