The arrests took place on 19 June, following an investigation that began with an alert issued by the PJ's National Unit for Combating Drug Trafficking to the Spanish authorities, according to the Portuguese police press office.

The PJ alerted the Spanish authorities to “the possibility of a truck loaded with chemicals entering Spanish territory via Badajoz,” and the two police forces began a “discreet surveillance operation on the A-5 motorway,” where they located the truck entering the “El Never” industrial complex in Badajoz.

There, the truck unloaded a “large quantity of drums containing chemicals,” the PJ added, revealing that the suspects had taken “extreme security measures,” using different devices to prevent their geolocation.

However, investigators managed to locate the site where the cocaine extraction, processing and packaging laboratory was operating.

During house searches, the police found around 46 kilograms of packaged cocaine ready for sale, as well as 20 kilograms of cocaine in the process of decanting and more than 100 drums of chemicals (acetones).

Frequency blockers, tracker detectors and several mobile phones were also found, as well as nine high-end vehicles.

“The seven detainees, all men aged between 25 and 47, some with criminal records, were handed over to the competent judicial authority and remanded in custody,” added the PJ press office.