Spanish authorities have arrested a Panamanian woman who arrived at Barcelona airport with 1.38kg of cocaine concealed in her breast implants.

The interior ministry said on Wednesday border police had noticed fresh scars and blood-stained gauze on the woman's chest and pale patches beneath her skin. The woman said she had recently had breast implant surgery.

Officers were suspicious and sent her to a local hospital where the implants were removed and found to contain cocaine, the ministry added.

The woman had flown in from Bogotá, Colombia.

European authorities routinely submit passengers arriving from Latin America to stringent checks to combat drug smuggling.