Greece makes record heroin bust

Greek authorities say they have seized a record 1.1 tonnes of heroin, worth more than 30 million euros ($A43 million), near Athens and arrested 11 suspected traffickers.

A coastguard statement on Friday said the operation, which followed a tip-off, was carried out in coordination with the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

The suspects, who were arrested late on Thursday, were identified as six Greeks and five foreign nationals.

The coastguard wouldn't specify the nationalities further and it wasn't immediately clear where the heroin had come from.

It said the drug ring had operated from a warehouse east of Athens and distributed the heroin in trucks to Greece and other European countries.

Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said it was the largest quantity of heroin ever seized in Greece.