Sarajevo, Nov 27 (IANS): A cross-border investigation spanning several years has this week dismantled a large-scale criminal network smuggling cocaine from South America into the European Union (EU).

Europol, the law enforcement agency of the European Union, said on Wednesday that a multinational law enforcement team had arrested 11 suspects on Tuesday: two in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), one in Croatia, and eight in Serbia. One of the suspects is wanted by an EU member state for past crimes, Europol said.

The operation involved law enforcement agencies from BiH, Croatia, and Serbia, Xinhua news agency reported.

Seized assets included weapons, luxury vehicles, expensive watches, and over 1 million euros (1.06 million U.S. dollars) in cash. Four additional suspects from the group have already been imprisoned, while international warrants have been issued for three others.

The network employed various maritime routes and tactics to traffic drugs. It was linked to a seizure of over half a ton of cocaine, worth 50 million euros, at the port of Ploce, Croatia, in March 2021. The drugs were hidden in a modified cargo container, highlighting a trend whereby traffickers target smaller EU ports.

The network relied on bribing corrupt customs officers to bypass inspections. One officer was arrested during the operation.