GENEVA

Italian authorities seized two tons of cocaine in packages left in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday.

"Approximately 2 tons of narcotic substance of the cocaine type, found in the sea off the eastern coast of Sicily," the country's Finance Guard said in a statement, adding that the operation was part of regular patrols in coastal waters by naval air units.

The Twitter post of the Finance Guard mentioned that it was a "record seizure 2 tons of cocaine worth over €400 million" and the police statement said the seizure of 2 tons of cocaine was "one of the largest ever carried out in the national territory."

It said the forces identified 70 packages floating together with a luminous signaling device and held together by nets.

The peculiar packaging method and presence of a luminous device led to suspicions that the packages could contain drugs left in the sea by a cargo ship to be retrieved and transported to the mainland, according to the statement.