MADRID, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- A joint operation between Spanish National Police and Customs officers has led to the seizure of 3,250 kg of hashish and the arrest of eight people, the Spanish Interior Ministry confirmed on Tuesday.

The Ministry said that the operation, which took place in an area known as the "Campo de Gibraltar" on the southwest coast of Spain, also saw the seizure of a "semi-rigid launch and three stolen vehicles which were prepared to transport the hashish."

The communique explains the operation was made possible "thanks to the vigilance" of both police and customs officers and the "help of aircraft which found the launch and considered it could be used for transporting drugs."

Thanks to the discovery of the launch, authorities surprised the drug traffickers as they were unloading their cargo on a beach. The hashish was divided into 102 packets "with total weight of approximately 3,250 kilos."

The Interior Ministry reports that the traffickers attempted to escape "at high speed" and that one of their vehicles "rammed a police car," but police were "finally able to catch them and detain the drivers."

This is the third major drugs haul reported in Spain in a week following two important seizures of cocaine, with one involving 1,400 kg on Oct. 23 and the other on Oct. 24 netting 6,000 kg.