SPAIN - A smuggling ring was busted as part of an almost three-year-long sting, ending in the discovery of 535 kilos (about 1,200 lbs) of cocaine in Peruvian containers of what should have been produce.

Officers worked with Spanish Tax authorities to make the bust in Valencia, with those involved looking to smuggle illicit drugs in from South America. The perpetrators reportedly decided to increase the volume of drugs being imported, as well as switching from the Madrid airport to moving the drugs via containers “supposedly carrying fruit, vegetables and spices,” according to the Euro Weekly News. No estimated street value was provided.

Authorities had names of possible companies involved in the importation of these containers thanks to an email received that gave away a number of individuals who had moved to Spain and were involved in drug smuggling from South America.

The first arrest associated to the case was in November of 2013, with the most recent container having been allowed to go to its final destination in Abanilla in Murcia, where officers were able to arrest 17 people including all of the senior members of the smuggling ring.

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