Police in Portugal 'dismantle one of Europe's biggest cocaine labs' - details of operation revealed

Portugal's Judicial Police (PJ) has "dismantled" what it said was the "biggest" industrial laboratory for the extraction, processing and packaging of cocaine in Europe.

According to foreign media, Telegrafi reports, it is about an operation in the west of Portugal (the location is not given) - arresting seven people and seizing about 1500 kilograms of cocaine.

In a statement, PJ said that 'Operation Pacoba' destroyed a highly organized criminal group dedicated to bringing large quantities of cocaine into the European continent.

"The final result of the 'Pacoba' operation was the arrest of seven suspects (four Portuguese, two Colombians and one Moroccan), the seizure of 1,478.5 kg of cocaine, three firearms, large amounts of money, several light and heavy laboratory vehicles" , the statement said.

Those arrested, aged between 29 and 56, will first face questioning in court before being granted bail.

According to the PJ, the investigation began after an exchange of information in the framework of international cooperation, and in close cooperation and coordination with the police and judicial authorities of Colombia (National Police), Spain (National Police) and the USA (DEA, HSI and CBP). .

Then, in May of this year, PJ's National Unit for the Fight against Drug Trafficking seized 986 kg of cocaine being transported in a shipping container from Colombia that had entered Portugal through the port of Setúbal.

According to the PJ, about 20 tons of bananas were being transported in the container and the drug was hidden at the bottom of the cardboard boxes in which the fruit was packed. /Telegraph/