The cocaine was seized from traffickers this month in a police operation that took place in the commercial capital Abidjan and the port city of San Pedro, a ministry statement said.

The statement gave few details but said nine people, including Ivorians and foreign nationals, had been arrested and investigations were under way.

The previous record haul was just over a year ago when about a tonne of cocaine was seized in one of Abidjan’s northern districts.

Major drug hauls in Ivory Coast are rare, but large cocaine seizures have become increasingly common along the West African Atlantic Coast. The region is often used as a transit route for illegal drugs on their way from South America to Europe.

About 40 tonnes pass through the region annually, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.