European authorities say they have seized 1.1 tons of cocaine worth $61 million from a yacht as it set sail from the Caribbean to Europe last week.

German police said Tuesday the seizure was part of a two-year-old investigation carried out with French and Spanish authorities. French officials intercepted the 13-meter yacht near the island of St. Maarten on Saturday after it had left Grenada.

The authorities said they arrested two Germans on the boat, as well as a South African in the Caribbean and a Dutch national in Spain.

The Associated Press quote police as saying they seized $580,000 in cash and another $1.3 million in other assets in searches in Germany.