Eleven Greek nationals were arrested on Tuesday by French authorities off the coast of Mimizan in south-western France during a massive cocaine haul.
Police initially thought it was a rescue operation as the suspects were spotted in inflatable dinghies. There had been information that one of the suspects who was born in Baghdad was reportedly connected to a network of illegal migrant-smuggling from Greece to Italy.

The names of the young men, none of whom have previous convictions, were disclosed to the Attica Police’s narcotics division, the Hellenic Coast Guard, and the Financial Crimes Squad on Wednesday.

The amount of cocaine seized by police once they reached the shore exceeds 1.5 tons, according to AAP.