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Record nine-tonne haul of cocaine seized in Algeciras

Spanish authorities have seized nine tonnes of cocaine stashed inside a container of bananas in the port of Algeciras, the largest haul of the drug ever detected in a European port.

The drugs were hidden between 1,080 boxes of bananas shipped from the port of Turbo in Colombia.

The joint operation between Spanish police and customs has led to the arrest of six people, including two in the French city of Lyon, three in Malaga and one in Algeciras.

Details of the operation were revealed by Spain’s Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido during a press conference in Algeciras.

This is the largest haul of cocaine in Spain’s history and comes just four months after officers in Algeciras seized six tonnes of the drug.

“This isn’t just another seizure of drugs,” Mr Zoido said.

“We are talking about the largest haul of cocaine inside a container ever seized in Europe.”

He said Spanish authorities had been monitoring the activities of an exporter in Colombia and an importer in Spain for some time, after international investigations raised suspicions that the companies were involved in drug trafficking.

The container was allowed to pass through the port under close police surveillance and was tracked to a warehouse in Malaga, where three arrests were made.

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