This is the moment police seized almost 1.2 tonnes of cocaine from a fishing boat docked in Santa Pola in Alicante.

The 1,184kg haul was divided into 40 bales inside 10 large containers, partially concealed beneath fishing nets.

A total of 10 people were arrested, with four remanded in custody.

Investigators believe the suspects formed a coordinated network, with some collecting and transporting cocaine at sea while others provided support from land.

The investigation began early this year after the Guardia Civil received information suggesting fishing vessels were being used to bring drugs ashore along the Alicante coast.

On the morning of September 18, investigators detected suspicious movements offshore and identified a fishing boat heading towards Santa Pola.

Officers monitored its journey and the crew’s activities as it arrived in port. They also spotted a man allegedly acting as a lookout near the pontoons to warn of any police presence.

Once the vessel had docked, maritime officers and members of the Guardia Civil’s USECIC security unit boarded it and discovered the cocaine.

Three people were arrested during the initial phase. Searches were also carried out at a flat in Elche and a villa in Santa Pola, with a boat, a vehicle and a motorcycle seized.

Further enquiries identified another group operating from the port and coordinating with those collecting the shipments at sea.

A second phase resulted in seven further arrests, while another person was placed under investigation.