Portugal seizes five tonnes of cocaine at sea

Portuguese police said Wednesday they seized about five tonnes of cocaine from a container ship on the open ocean and arrested three people.

Authorities said the ship was travelling from an unnamed Latin American country when it was boarded about 640 nautical miles from Lisbon in “extremely difficult conditions”.

Police said the operation dismantled a criminal group dedicated to smuggling large quantities of drugs into Europe.

Investigators arrested two passengers and a crew member suspected of involvement in the alleged scheme. The suspects are not Portuguese, but authorities did not disclose their nationalities.

The Portuguese navy escorted the container ship to the southern port of Siner, where it arrived Tuesday. The operation also involved Portugal's air force and, at an earlier stage, British and Spanish authorities.