Police said a major cocaine smuggling operation, using a speedboat network to transport drugs from South America to the Canary Islands.

Nearly four tons of cocaine trafficked from Brazil and Colombia were caught, and 48 suspects arrested in raids in Futeventura, Granganaria and Lanzarote were arrested.

Spain's Policia Nacional said the gang used 11 so-called Narco Boats to smuggle drugs on the Atlantic Ocean in a complex operation involving the use of abandoned wreckage at sea as a refueling platform.

Police forces from Europe, Britain, South America and the United States participated in a raid called Operation Black Shadow.

Europol said the gang used speedboats "repeatedly starting from the Atlantic strategic points to the mother ship transporting cocaine."

Investigators revealed that the gang used “complex encrypted communication systems to evade law enforcement, including the use of satellite terminals, difficult-to-trace telephones and coding languages.”

Police said the attack was in the planned months, seeing 29 searched properties, with 69 vehicles confiscated - including boats and motorboats - as well as cash and gun recovery.

Details of the raid reveal the complexity of online international drug smuggling gangs using to bring narcotics into Europe, a major market for South American cartels.

Spanish police said the operation "demolished one of the largest criminal organizations committed to cocaine trafficking".

The force also said it had identified a local network of the Canary Islands once it arrived from South America.

Videos of the raid published by Spanish police showed armed and masked officers raided several houses, arresting suspects and searching.

This is not the first time that police intercept large quantities of cocaine, i.e., the Canary Islands, Spanish territory and popular tourist destination, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the coast of West Africa.

Police announced in December that they intercepted a Venezuelan fishing boat 1,000 miles from the sea.

It found the ship - too shabby and sank when towed onto the shore - carrying 3.3 tons of cocaine.