Portuguese Cops Seize 10.4 Tons of Cocaine Hidden in Octopus Cargo

LISBON, Portugal – Portuguese police said Monday they had seized 10.4 tons of cocaine hidden in a ship container and broken up an international drug-smuggling ring.

A police statement said a joint investigation with Spanish authorities that lasted almost three years led to the discovery of the cocaine last month in a ship that docked at Lisbon after traveling from Venezuela.

The cocaine was dissolved in a frozen liquid that was part of a cargo of octopus, the statement said.

Following the seizure, Spanish police arrested five suspects, including one Colombian, and two other people were detained in Portugal.