Dozens arrested, 8 tons of cocaine seized in major operation in Europe

European police forces have arrested around 40 people in a years-long operation to bust a major drug smuggling ring, leading to the seizure of eight tons of cocaine, Europol said Thursday.

The cartel, whose leaders were based in Turkey and Dubai, had been dealt a major blow after a final set of arrests Wednesday, the Hague-based police coordination agency said.

The network had "the capacity to transport tons and tons of cocaine all over the world", Oscar Esteban Remacha, head of the anti-drug trafficking unit at Spain's Guardia Civil, said at a news conference in Madrid.