The drugs, wrapped in one-kilo size blue packages, were hidden in a false bottom of the Maid of Orleans yacht

The yacht at the centre of a cocaine seizure on its way to Canary Islands

AN Irishman has been arrested by Spanish police after the seizure of more than 500 kilos of cocaine – with a street value of €135m – on a yacht bound for the Canary Islands.

He was detained in Gran Canaria on suspicion of belonging to a drugs trafficking gang after Spanish police and customs officials intercepted the yacht in international waters between Cape Verde and the holiday islands.

He remained in custody this morning along with an American arrested on the yacht, an Australian woman arrested in Tenerife, and two Spaniards held in Gran Canaria.

The identity of the Irishman has yet to be revealed by Spanish officials. He has only been identified as Kenneth C. His age and birthplace in Ireland have also yet to be disclosed.

It is understood he has appeared in a closed hearing and been remanded in custody. Garda sources said Spanish police had yet to make contact with Irish officials about the arrest.

International arrest warrants have also been issued for other alleged members of the gang who are still at large.

Detectives said last night they had seized several weapons, including three Derringer handguns, a semi-automatic pistol and an assault rifle, gold bars worth €135,000 and satellite telecommunications equipment during raids in the Canary Islands linked to the top-level operation. They also confiscated three boats, including one called Mistral of Ireland, as well as several luxury cars.

The drugs were wrapped up in one-kilo size blue packages and hidden in a false bottom of the yacht, called Maid of Orleans.

Police said they believed the cocaine originated from Colombia but was taken to Brazil before being shipped to Cape Verde, off the coast of Angola.

Police said they suspected the gang used Cape Verde as a staging post for large cocaine shipments – before sending it on to the Canary Islands in smaller amounts after putting it into storage.

The yacht they seized the cocaine on was intercepted in the early hours of July 17 by Spanish customs officers and police from a special unit set up to tackle organised crime.

Police only went public with the arrests yesterday.

A spokesman for the National Police in Madrid said: "The organisation was made up of people of different nationalities specialising in the smuggling of cocaine by sea.

"The network transported large amounts of drugs from South America to Cape Verde where it was stored. Subsequently, the drugs were sent in smaller amounts to the Canary Islands where they were distributed."

Video footage released by Spanish police showed a customs vessel offloading the drugs at a port in Gran Canaria – and the hiding place for the cocaine on board the Maid of Orleans.

Manuel Curbelo, head of the Anti-Drug and Organised Crime Unit in the Canary Islands, which was involved in the cocaine bust, said at a press conference in Gran Canaria: "We have international arrest warrants out for other people we believe are linked to the drugs trafficking organisation.

"They may be caught very shortly."

Spain is the entry point for more than 70pc of the cannabis resin and 40pc of the cocaine arriving in Europe.

Irish Independent