In Record Haul, Over 5 Tonnes Of Cocaine Seized From Portugal's Coast

With the cocaine bales piled up behind him at a naval base across the river Tagus from Lisbon, Luis Neves, director of Portugal's criminal investigation police, said the haul represented the largest amount of cocaine ever seized from a sailboat globally.

Portuguese and Spanish authorities have seized 5.2 tonnes of cocaine from a sailboat on the high seas and arrested three suspects, in Portugal's largest drug bust in 15 years and a world-record haul from a sailboat, police said on Monday.

With the cocaine bales piled up behind him at a naval base across the river Tagus from Lisbon, Luis Neves, director of Portugal's criminal investigation police, said the haul represented the largest amount of cocaine ever seized from a sailboat globally.

Usually, such large quantities are found on cargo ships and bigger motorised vessels.

Authorities discovered 183 cloth sacks full of cocaine, destined for the continental European market, inside the sailboat in the Atlantic Ocean, around 550 kilometres from Portugal's coast.