Police in southwest Germany said on Monday that they seized 646 kilos (1,425 pounds) of drugs, including a record 49,500 tabs of LSD, during a raid against a suspected international drug ring earlier this year.

Police seized the drugs, which also included hashish, ecstasy and amphetamines, in January at two separate locations in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The LSD haul amounted to Germany's largest ever seizure of the illegal drug.

Prosecutors said the drugs' street value was about €9.8 million (11.4 million dollars).

Read more: LSD - The drug my father discovered

Swedish origins

German authorities suspected an international drug ring was behind the stash after Swedish police made an earlier haul in mid-2017 that led police to a 33-year-old couple living in Andernach, a small town in northern Rhineland-Palatinate.

Police went on to identify a total of 11 suspects and believe the ring has been active across Europe, smuggling drugs to and from Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Read more: Report highlights continued rise in drug-related crime in Germany

During the January raid, police also arrested seven suspects, four of whom had been residing in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Rolf Wissen, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office, said officials had not released information about the haul until now because the investigation is still ongoing.

amp/jm (dpa)

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