Argentine authorities seize more than 1.5 tons of cocaine en route to Europe

Colombian authorities confiscated potatoes and yuccas containing cocaine 0:59

(CNN) --

Agents from Argentina's naval prefecture and gendarmerie intercepted more than 1.5 tons of cocaine in Buenos Aires on Tuesday that was about to be shipped to Europe by sea, according to a statement posted on the government's website. Argentine government.

• 23 tons of cocaine seized in Europe, presumed to have come from Paraguay

Authorities also arrested six suspects in connection with drug trafficking: five Argentine citizens and one Spanish-Moroccan citizen.

They also seized six trucks, five cars, three boats, six motorcycles, four different coins worth more than $100,000, a Bitcoin storage device, and various documents.

The suspects had transported the drug on a sailboat to the open sea, where they loaded it onto a ship bound for Europe, according to the authorities' investigation.

Credit: National Gendarmerie via Twitter @gendarmeria

The seizure and arrest were the culmination of an investigation launched in 2018, dubbed “Operation Atlantis.”

EuropeDrug Trafficking