This is the moment police seized more than three tonnes of drugs and arrested eight men after dismantling a trafficking network on the Costa del Sol.

The gang, based in Marbella and Torremolinos, allegedly used stolen luxury cars fitted with false number plates to move cocaine and hashish from Portugal through Spain, mainly towards the French market.

Officers recovered 2,500kg of hashish and 600kg of cocaine, alongside a rifle, €13,000 in cash and five stolen vehicles.

Two suspects were arrested in Marbella and another two in Torremolinos. Three further arrests took place in Cullera, Valencia, and one in Girona.

The eight men are aged between 24 and 58. Three have been remanded in custody.

The investigation began in May and was carried out jointly by organised crime and drugs officers from Torremolinos-Benalmadena and Valencia.

Police believe the organisation acquired large drug consignments in Portugal before bringing them into Spain, where properties in Malaga and Valencia served as storage and preparation points.

The shipments were divided into smaller loads before continuing towards France.

According to investigators, the gang used powerful vehicles stolen in France and Belgium, replacing their number plates to conceal their identities.

In September, officers searched six homes and a commercial premises across Malaga and Valencia provinces. The entire 3.1-tonne drug haul was discovered at one of the homes.

Police also seized 14 sets of false number plates, equipment for producing plates, signal jammers and forged identity documents.

The suspects are being investigated for alleged drug trafficking, membership of a criminal organisation, illegal weapons possession, vehicle theft and document forgery.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.