Five people have been arrested after 2.9 tonnes of cocaine worth about €72m (£60m) was seized on a fishing boat in the Canary Islands.

The AKT 1 was stopped by the Spanish coastguard and escorted to Las Palmas, the capital city of Gran Canaria, on Wednesday.

Spain’s El Dia newspaper reported that the police and tax agency were also involved in the operation, and officers were waiting onshore when the vessel arrived.

A spokesman for the Spanish Civil Guard said: “We are trying to confirm the amount of drugs on board.”

Pictures were published showing officials on board with at least a dozen large white bags on the deck of the boat.

The drugs had been hidden in one of the fuel tanks.

The five suspects – four of whom were from Turkey and one from Georgia – were remanded in custody in Las Palmas.

Related posts:

Funerals begin for Israel stampede victims as children including boy, 9, listed among dead Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: UK to pay Tehran £400m to free British-Iranian national, state TV reports Pregnant women and their unborn babies dying in Brazil as COVID deaths set to pass 500k mark Man loses hand after violent clashes between police and ravers in France ‘We are at the mercy of the volcano’: No end in sight to La Palma eruption, officials say Doping scandal, fake snow and harsh COVID rules: Controversial Beijing Winter Olympics draws to a close Russian commanders given orders to begin final preparations for Ukraine attack, US official claims Putin plan for invading Ukraine has ‘already begun’, warns Number 10 Oil marches towards $100 a barrel as markets watch Ukraine crisis deepen Germany halts approval of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia Microplastics found in human blood for first time after scientists make ‘concerning finding’ JK Rowling hits back at Vladimir Putin after he drags her into row over ‘cancelling Russian culture’