A man from Oxshott has been arrested following a police operation in Spain, where more than £8m worth of cannabis was seized.

Nearly half a million pounds in cash was also recovered from the man's house during the joint operation between British and Spanish police.

The man and two other men arrested from St Leonards, East Sussex, were said to be "at the UK distribution end" of a group importing the drug by sea from Morocco.

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the Middle Market Drugs Partnership - made up of Metropolitan Police, Customs and SOCA officers - boarded a yacht on Friday, Spetember 17.

They seized more than 2.8 tons of cannabis, including 2.71 tons of cannabis resin and 100 kilos of high-grade skunk cannabis.

A statement from SOCA said: "The operation targeted a British organised crime group based in Malaga who hired a catamaran, the Cariro 2, to transport the cannabis from Morocco to the UK.

"On Friday, armed officers from the Spanish National Police boarded the catamaran while it was midway between Morocco and Spain, and apprehended the crew members."

Three British men and a British woman are being questioned by Spanish police, along with three Moroccan men and one Moroccan woman.

European Arrest Warrants were used to arrest the Oxshott man and the two men from St Leonards.

The statement said: "They are believed to represent the UK distribution end of the group.

"Approximately half a million pounds in cash was also recovered from the address in Oxshott."

The men will appear at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in London to face extradition proceedings this week.

Ken Gallagher, head of European operations for SOCA, said: "This operation demonstrates the value of effective partnerships when it comes to protecting the UK.

"The continued effort to target UK crime groups based overseas is key to ensuring that the UK is not a soft target for drug traffickers."

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