French customs seize tonne of cocaine

French customs officials say they have seized more than one tonne of cocaine from a sailing boat that was forced to stop in northern France after losing its mast.

A statement from the customs service said the cocaine, with a street value of about $130m, was stashed beneath the floorboards of the boat.

The three people on the boat - two Brazilians and a Dutchman - were arrested.

They said they had come from the Caribbean and were heading for the Netherlands.

The customs service statement said the seizure, which took place on Saturday, was the largest since 1994, when customs officials found 12 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a truck near the southern town of Narbonne.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service