Brazil's police seized on late Thursday 2.84 tons of marijuana in the small town of Indiana in the country's southeastern Sao Paulo state, police said on Friday.

According to the police, the drugs were hidden in three pick-up trucks: a Ford F-250, a Chevrolet Montana and a Chevrolet S-10. The three vehicles had been spotted by policemen during a routine patrol, but the drivers managed to evade with the cars when they noticed the officers approaching.

Later in the night, however, the police found the three abandoned vehicles. The officers proceeded with a search and found the drugs, which were wrapped in more than 3,000 tablets. No one was arrested, the police said.

It is the third time this week that the Brazilian police have seized large amounts of drugs in abandoned vehicles. On Monday, the Federal Highway Police found 1.1 tons of marijuana in a car in Ponta Pora of Mato Grosso do Sul state in midwestern Brazil. No one was arrested.

On Wednesday, a total of 716 kg of marijuana was seized and three people were arrested in Antonio Joao of Mato Grosso do Sul state. Two others managed to escape after abandoning a pick-up truck full of drugs.