Boat with £375m of cocaine seized

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A ship carrying cocaine worth £375m - mostly thought to be destined for London - has been seized off the coast of Spain.

The former coastguard boat, named Destiny Empress, was captured some 200 miles off the northern coast as part of an operation involving Scotland Yard.

The ship contained 1.5 tonnes of cocaine which was hidden in the hold.

The Metropolitan Police said 13 people in the UK had been arrested and charged with various drugs-related offences.

Some arrests have been made in Spain, including members of the ship's crew.

Detectives from the force's central task force, which focuses on major criminal gangs, were responsible for the inquiry.

They said an international network, stretching between London, Spain, the Caribbean and Colombia, was under investigation by the authorities.

The operation also involved the Spanish National Police, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) and the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre.