Police seized two tonnes of cocaine and arrested 17 people during the biggest drug bust in Argentina’s history.

The bust happened in the city of Bahia Blanca, in the eastern Argentine province of Buenos Aires.

The drugs have a street value of approximately £47million and were set to be exported to the Spanish city of Barcelona as well as Canadian cities.

Four of the arrested men were of Mexican nationality and two other members of the gang who are linked with the infamous Mexican Sinaloa cartel managed to escape.

Most of the cocaine seized was found packed inside steel reels (
Image:
CEN)
Police inspect the haul of cocaine (
Image:
CEN)

Authorities say they have issued an international arrest warrant for them.

Most of the cocaine, around 1.5 tonnes, was found inside eight steel reels with special wires and magnetic fields so that they would not be detected by scanners.

The other half tonne of cocaine was found in a house located in the western province of Mendoza near the Chilean border, leading authorities to believe that the drugs might have been smuggled over from the neighbouring country.

Officers sort through the packaged drugs (
Image:
CEN)

Argentina's Security Minister, Patricia Bullrich, said that the criminal gangs are changing their routes due to heavy controls in the north of the country.

The police operation started early this year and is considered one of the most important in the country against drug trafficking. Bullrich confirmed that it is the biggest seizure of cocaine in Argentine history.

Police seized two tonnes of cocaine and arrested 17 people (
Image:
CEN)

During the police operation officers also seized £168,000 in cash, five vehicles, and a host of weapons.

Bullrich also said they are investigating if the gang had worked previously in 2012 and 2013 because the modus operandi is similar to an operation carried out then.