According to press reports, jumpers and jackets coated in cocaine were smuggled in regular suitcases through Rome's Fiumicino airport, and the customs police also seized 165 pounds of cocaine.

Italian customs said that 37 people were arrested in the raid, and confirmed it had busted an international criminal organization operating in Britain, France, Italy, The Netherlands and Spain.

The organization was divided into 15 criminal groups that operated autonomously, the Guardia di Finanza police force said in a statement. Those arrested included 14 Italian nationals and four citizens of the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.

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U.S. busts major drug cartel with Dominican link, AP reports

The U.S. Government has charged nearly two dozen people with moving drugs and illicit money through the Caribbean for a major Colombian drug cartel, the Associated Press reports Friday.

It said Federal authorities have learned that the suspects belonged to a network that helped the North Valley cartel collect proceeds from cocaine shipped to Puerto Rico and the continental U.S.

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement say 21 suspects were arrested in recent days in Colombia, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, New York, Miami and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They describe one of the Colombian suspects as the network's "main money broker," AP said

It adds that  U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez announced the charges Friday. “She said suspects arrested off the island will be extradited to Puerto Rico.”