Authorities from Italy, Spain and the United States seized 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of cocaine and arrested 14 suspected members of a gang that allegedly smuggled drugs from Colombia to Europe, officials said Thursday. The joint operation broke up a Colombian drug-trafficking ring with contacts in several countries in Europe and Latin America, and which was believed to have been one of the largest in recent years, officials said, according to AP. «We have dealt a serious blow to the structure» of the drug ring, said Col. Leonardo Alestra, a top Carabinieri official in Rome. «The organization was so sophisticated that in one year it could have smuggled a ton of drug only onto the Italian market,» Alestra said. «It was a very powerful organization. There are few that operate at that level.» Three suspects were arrested in Spain, one in Costa Rica and the remaining 10 in Italy, he said. The arrests were carried out last week. Under cover agents had spent two years infiltrating the drug ring in an investigation that involved Rome, Madrid and San Jose, Costa Rica, the Carabinieri said. --More 2035 Local Time 1735 GMT
