Law enforcement agencies in six different countries have joined forces to dismantle a "super cartel" of drug traffickers who control about a third of the cocaine trade in Europe, the European Union's anti-crime agency said.

Europol said 49 suspects were arrested in the investigation, and the latest series of raids in Europe and the United Arab Emirates took place from Nov. 8 to 19.

The agency said police forces involved in Operation Desert Light struck at both the command and control center and the logistical infrastructure of drug trafficking in Europe.

Investigations in Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UAE, supported by Europol, seized more than 30 metric tons of drugs. According to Europol, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration played a role in dismantling the organization, which also engaged in money laundering.

The scale of cocaine entering Europe under the control and command of the suspects was enormous, Europol said, adding that the suspects used encrypted messages to organize drug shipments.