Spanish police seize 322 mln dollar euros worth of cocaine

MADRID, June 18 (Reuters) Spanish police said today they had intercepted a boat in the Atlantic today carrying around 322 million dollar worth of cocaine.

Spanish special agents working with US, Mexican and British intelligence learnt that traffickers were planning to land the 4 tonne haul from Venezuela in Galicia, northern Spain.

They stopped and searched the boat at sea near the Azores, and finding 154 bundles of cocaine hidden on board, arrested the boat's six crew members before they could transfer the stash onto a speed boat headed for Boiro in Galicia.

Galicia's labyrinthine coast, dotted with fishing ports and tourist resorts, is a popular gateway for drug traffickers who want to smuggle cocaine into Europe from Latin America.

Officers also raided homes in Madrid and Galicia, arresting five people and seizing 26,810 dollar in cash.

Spanish media reports said the smugglers included Venezuelan, Colombian, Peruvian, Korean and Chinese citizens, but a Spanish police spokesman said their nationalities could not yet be confirmed.

REUTERS SG RAI2151