Spanish police have seized nearly eight tonnes of cocaine hidden in a Senegalese-flagged boat, the second largest haul in the country's history, officials said tonight.
Police arrested 31 people in connection with the operation, which brings the total amount of cocaine seized by Spanish authorities this year to more than 38 tonnes, sources working on the national drugs plan said.
Customs officers boarded the "South Sea" on Saturday when it was 80 miles off the Portuguese coast, and escorted it to a port in the northwestern Galician region, Spain's Finance Ministry said in a statement.
The five crew members, including a Spaniard, a Ukrainian and a Gambian, were arrested, as well as another 26 people of various nationalities, as part of a joint operation involving police, customs and the Navy.