Spanish police seized four tonnes of cocaine from ship off Canary Islands

Spanish authorities seized four tonnes of cocaine from a cargo ship off the Canary Islands and arrested its 10 crew, officials said Friday.

The 70-metre (230-foot) long "Ras" was sailing under a Tanzanian flag when it was intercepted 130 nautical miles from Lanzarote, the easternmost island of the Atlantic archipelago off northwest Africa, police and Spain's tax office said in a joint statement.

All of the crew -- including five Turks, two Azerbaijanis and a Dutchman -- have been detained. The Turkish captain was among those detained.

The cargo ship drew attention because it made "a unique voyage" from Turkey to West Africa without loading or unloading goods, and then, after making "erratic manoeuvres", setting course for the Iberian Peninsula, said the statement.

The ship was monitored by the Lisbon-based Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre-Narcotics, an initiative involving six European Union countries and Britain, in an operation coordinated by Spanish police.

It was intercepted by customs vessels from Spain and France which were patrolling the area.

Spain is a main entry point for drugs into Europe because of its close ties with former colonies in Latin America and its proximity to Morocco, a top cannabis producer.