BRAZIL POLICE SEIZE COCAINE HEADED FOR SPAIN-TV

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 8 (Reuters) - Brazilian police seized 662 pounds (300
kilograms) of Colombian cocaine, destined primarily for Spain, and arrested
six men in the culmination of a two-year investigation, Globo TV Network
said on Monday.

Three Brazilians and three Colombians were charged with drug trafficking
after police on Monday raided a farm and airstrip outside Londrina, 237
miles (381 km) northwest of Curitiba, the capital of the southern Brazilian
state of Parana.

Most of the cocaine, thought to come from the Colombian city of Cali, was
to be hidden in frozen chicken or instant coffee and shipped to Spain, the
Globo TV report said. The rest was headed for Brasilia.

A cache of light arms was also discovered, the report said. Police were not
immediately available for comment.

The seizure and arrests followed a two-year police operation targeting drug
traffickers.

Large amounts of cocaine produced in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia pass
through Brazil on their way to Europe and the United States.

Brazil, whose arid northeast also produces marijuana, is battling a growing
drug trade as pressure on traffickers has increased in neighbouring
cocaine-producing nations.