Record haul of cocaine seized from sailboat off Portugal's coast

Portuguese and Spanish police attend a news conference presenting the 5.2 tons of cocaine seized in the Atlantic Ocean, in Almada, Portugal, October 18, 2021. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes

ALMADA, Portugal (Reuters) - 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.