A man from south west London has been arrested in Spain after police seized three tonnes of cocaine in a record-breaking raid.
Spanish National Police uncovered the haul of Class A drugs, which had apparently been trafficked from South America to Spain and were destined for the UK, after a tip off from the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The find in a warehouse in Galicia is thought to be the biggest drug haul in the region in almost two decades.
An NCA spokesman said three tonnes of the drug had been seized by police and a British gang were intending to hand over money to release the consignment.
The group, who are thought to be based in Spain, travelled to Galicia on December 11 to make a payment of €500,000 [£360,000] as a deposit for the first 700kg of the cocaine.
The following weekend – December 14 and 15 – members of the group were seen meeting Spanish and Dutch suspects, who were tasked with collecting the first 300kg of the drug.
The British gang were then identified by police as the customers for the entire three tonne importation.
Two Spanish and two Dutch suspects were arrested as 300kg of the substituted cocaine was being collected on behalf of the British group.
Seven British men, including a 41-year-old man from Kingston-upon-Thames, five men aged between 31 and 59 from Liverpool and a 50-year-old from Thornbury, were later arrested in connection with the alleged trafficking.
A loaded Glock firearm and bundles of 100 Euro notes, totalling almost a €1million [£720,000] were also seized.
