Spanish police found four tonnes of cocaine hidden in rice sacks at the Barcelona port in what they called biggest every seizure of the drug there, AFP reported.
Officers arrested eight people in Spain as part of the operation, which broke up a smuggling ring that operated in Spain, Paraguay and Britain, Spain's Guardia Civil police force said in a statement.
Two other people were arrested in Paraguay, including the suspected leader of the gang, it added.
Police said they found the cocaine in a container that arrived from Paraguay.
"This is the largest quantity of this substance found to date in the port of Barcelona," the statement said.
Officials believe the gang also smuggled drugs into other European ports, including a shipment of 2.1 tonnes of cocaine that British authorities seized in the port of Southampton in March.
And in October 2023, police in Paraguay seized 3.3 tonnes of cocaine that the same group allegedly planned to ship to Belgium.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration cooperated in the operation.
Spain is a main entry point for drugs into Europe given its close ties with its former colonies in Latin America, a major cocaine producing region, and its proximity to Morocco, a top cannabis producer. BGNES
