The operation was the biggest of its kind in 25 years and the amount of cocaine seized was more than double the entire amount in the country last year.
The street value of the cocaine found, which was stuffed into 23 large duffle bags, is €130 million (AUD $205 million), finance police said in a statement.
The drugs were found in a container of coffee beans that was on its way to a Madrid-based company in the port of Barcelona.
The shipment left from Honduras and was transferred to another cargo ship in Costa Rica before making its way to Europe, authorities said.
“This was an enormous, exceptional operation,” Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said.
“Thank you on behalf of all Italians.”
While police made no arrests and did not say who they suspected was responsible for the drugs, Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta mafia, based in the southern region of Calabria, is considered by investigators to be the largest cocaine importer in Europe.
Dozens of people were arrested in Italy and other European countries in December, in a raid on the cocaine-trafficking group that officials said was the largest sweep of its kind.
This recent operation is another blow to drug trafficking and organised crime in Italy.
It came as a result of increased checks on high-risk shipments, in particular those from countries in Central and South America.
