Oct. 18 (UPI) — Authorities in Portugal said Monday that they have intercepted a shipment of cocaine worth more than $200 million on a yacht in the Atlantic Ocean.
Police from multiple agencies, as part of a transnational effort, said they confiscated 5.2 tons of cocaine in the bust. They said the drugs are worth about $250 million.
The effort, Operation Mare Branca, included police in Portugal and Spain, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Britain’s National Crime Agency, officials said.
The drugs were stashed on a 79-foot yacht that officials said was taking the drugs from South America to Europe through the Iberian Peninsula.
Authorities arrested three men and jailed them in Portugal. They’re believed to be part of a transnational drug cartel.
Investigators said the drug bust is the largest in Portugal in 15 years.