Spanish police and customs announced on Friday the seizure of almost 9.5 tonnes of cocaine from Ecuador, billed as the largest cocaine haul in the country's history.
The seizure took place on Wednesday in the southern port of Algeciras.
This is "the largest concealed shipment of cocaine in Spain to date," 9,436 kilos," which had been concealed in banana boxes in a refrigerated container, the authorities said.
The operation constitutes "an unprecedented blow to one of the world's most important criminal organisations in the distribution of cocaine, the recipients of which were the main criminal networks in Europe," the statement said, without identifying the organisation.
The logos of more than 30 European criminal organisations, the consignees of the shipment, were detected in the cargo.
The organisation responsible for the shipment was able to send 40 containers a month to Europe and "had an extensive commercial network for shipping containers from Ecuador to Spain," also using the port of Vigo in northwest Spain.
Police reported no arrests during the operation.
