Spanish police seize 1.4 tons of cocaine, detain eight (Roundup)

Aug 12, 2008, 14:07 GMT

Madrid - Spanish police have seized 1.4 tons of cocaine in their biggest haul of the drug on land this year, detaining eight people, police said Tuesday.

The drug was confiscated from a van parked near a shopping centre in the north-eastern city of Barcelona.

Four of the suspects were arrested near the van as they were going to pick up the drug. The others were held at a Barcelona hotel, where police seized 150,000 euros (220,000 dollars) in cash.

Six of the detainees were Colombian and two were Venezuelan nationals. They included two suspected ring leaders.

Spanish police were cooperating with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The cocaine, which was estimated to be worth more than 80 million euros on the drug market, was destined for distribution in Spain.

It was the third large cocaine haul made this summer by police in Spain, which is regarded as a gateway for Latin American cocaine to enter the European market.