"In the course of a joint operation with the Customs Surveillance Service, agents of the National Police have seized the largest amount of cocaine in Spanish history in the port of Algeciras. Almost 9.5 tonnes of the narcotic substance were seized. The cocaine was hidden inside banana crates stored in a refrigerated maritime container originating from Ecuador," the law enforcement said in a statement.
Inside the shipment, the police discovered over 30 different insignia of various European criminal groups who were the cargo's addressees, the police said. The group responsible for the cocaine shipment is believed to have an extensive business network for shipping sea containers from Ecuador to Spain.
"The operation has dealt an unprecedented blow to one of the most important global criminal organizations, which has been trafficking cocaine to major criminal networks across Europe," the statement read.
The investigation found that the organization had operated through an international banana supplier based in the Ecuadorian city of Machala. The company has been sending about 40 crates per month addressed to various European companies.
In early July, the Civil Guard of Spain, in cooperation with the United Kingdom's police, busted an operation of a drug trafficking network, detaining nine UK citizens in the process.