Spanish authorities said that on Monday they had seized seven tonnes of cocaine stashed in sea freight containers installed underneath a farm and they have arrested three suspected smugglers.

The Civil Guard police said that they launched the operation on Friday when they detected two suspicious speedboats at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River.

The boats were tracked to a rural estate in the municipality of Coria del Rio, south of the city of Seville, where the suspects stored the drugs in two containers hidden underground.

The Civil Guard said that it was the largest seizure of cocaine smuggled into southern Spain by a speedboat.

They impounded three weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle as well as two stolen vehicles.

Spain is one of the main gateways to Europe for international drug traffickers due to its proximity to Morocco, a top cannabis producer, as well as its close ties with former colonies in Latin America.

Separately, Portuguese authorities seized close to 3.5 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a shipment of bananas in a cargo ship that was arriving from Latin America, police said Monday.

The operation which was carried out with Britain's National Crime Agency discovered the stash at the port of Setubal, just south of Lisbon, police investigations coordinator Vitor Ananias told local media.

"Given the large number of pallets carrying bananas being transported by the boat, finding the drugs was possible only thanks to long and meticulous work by investigators," police said in a statement.

No arrests were made but the investigation is continuing, the police said.

AFP

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Free State drug bust: Two women arrested with R100,000 worth of narcotics

Seven tonnes of cocaine found stashed in sea freight containers