Lisbon: Spanish and Portuguese police say a joint operation resulted in the seizure of 745kg of cocaine, much of it allegedly concealed inside pineapples shipped from Latin America.
The Iberian police forces announced the big drug bust on Wednesday. They said it unfolded over several months, led to nine arrests and broke up an international smuggling ring led by Colombians.
In November, Spanish police discovered almost 400kg 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 of cocaine in all.
The police also seized €400 000 in cash.
