An international police operation found 5.73 tons of cocaine worth about $232 million on a yacht in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday, making it one of the largest cocaine hauls in Europe and the largest cocaine haul in Portugal, authorities said.
The Portuguese navy and air force units found the 79-foot yacht at sea before finding 183 bales of cocaine on board, according to The Associated Press. Police believe an international drug trafficking gang brought the cocaine into Europe through the Iberian Peninsula, The AP reported. (RELATED: Man Says He’s Going To Buy A Mustang And Five Kilos Of Cocaine If He Wins The Lottery During Hilarious Interview)
An international police operation seized 5.73 tons of cocaine with a street value around $232 million on a yacht in the Atlantic Ocean, authorities said.https://t.co/sacu3KgXUH
— TribLIVE.com (@TribLIVE) October 18, 2021
Police arrested three men and then took them to Portugal, according to The AP.
Police from Portugal, Spain, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency were all involved in the arrest, The AP reported. Authorities will release more information Monday, according to The AP.
Authorities found about 110 pounds of cocaine in May on Matagorda County beaches in Texas. The Matagorda County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant said the drugs inside can become liquid and lead, which can harm or kill a person.
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a man in Alabama in February after he smuggled about 10 pounds of cocaine worth about $335,134.47. Police found about four bricks of cocaine in a spare tire.