Cocaine has been seized on two vessels in Brazil and Italy in raids two days apart.
On 30 September, Italian police discovered 217 kg of the drug divided into blocks and hidden in a sealed storage room on the 34,800-dwt bulker Adrienne (built 2020) at Ancona, the Ansa news agency said.
The operation was coordinated by the district anti-mafia prosecutors Monica Garulli and Michele Renzo.
The vessel was searched by 50 officers with the help of sniffer dogs.
One crew member was reported to have been arrested.
Prosecutors praised the investigating team's "ability to plan and operate in unison".
The ship is operated by Minship of Germany.
Drugs found on German cargoship
Police said that on 2 October, 1.5 tonnes of drugs were found in a load of corn on the 9,800-dwt general cargoship Unispirit (built 2006) at Sao Sebastiao, Brazil, the Globo daily reported.
The operation was conducted by federal police in partnership with the Federal Revenue Service.
The vessel was destined for Cadiz in Spain.
The raid arose from a routine inspection that found a brick of the drug inside a bag on the ship. No arrests were reported.
The seized drugs will be taken to police headquarters in Sao Paulo for destruction.
German operator Held Bereederungs has also been contacted for comment.
The incidents once again highlight the problem of international drug gangs concealing narcotics on board merchant vessels after a series of similar raids over the summer.
