Lettuce truck carrying €3.7 worth of cannabis stopped before boarding ferry to Rosslare

A total of 575kg of the drug was discovered hidden in the truck full of lettuce in vacuum-packs at the Port of Bilbao.

The search took place after the truck, which had travelled from the south of Spain, aroused the suspicion of customs officials and the Guardia Civil

Following an inspection of the goods on-board, 500 plastic bags of the drug were found inside boxes containing salad leaves.

The truck was due to travel on the ferry that covers the regular line with the port of Rosslare and Bilbao.

After analysing the substance, police was confirmed that it was a variety of high quality marijuana.

The truck driver was arrested on charges of drug trafficking.

In May, Spanish police brought down a major drug trafficking gang which involved 43 people from Ireland, the United Kingdom, Colombia, Spain, Morocco and Per.

Over a 24-hour period the Guarda Civil mobilised 250 agents from various units to carry out the operation that was carried out on May 17 and was coordinated from the ground and air.

Kilos of cocaine, speed, ecstasy and especially marijuana were stored in the more than 30 addresses in Vega Baja, Murcia and Almería that were linked to the international crime gang.

Police moved in as the drugs were being prepared for distribution to the United Kingdom and other countries in northern and eastern Europe through "mules" .

The main target of the massive operation was a British man who ran the network from a villa in Torrevieja where he resides.