Portuguese police have made a record seizure of almost nine tonnes of cocaine after intercepting a semi-submersible vessel, known as a narco-sub, off the Azores. The haul is believed to be the largest ever found on such a vessel bound for Europe.
The operation was carried out by the Portuguese Judicial Police in coordination with the navy, air force, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, and the UK National Crime Agency. The vessel sank during the interception, taking 35 bales of cocaine to the ocean floor. Four crew members—three Colombians and a Venezuelan—were arrested.
The Portuguese police stated that the vessel was carrying 300 bales of cocaine and was intercepted approximately 230 nautical miles from the Azores under difficult weather conditions. Local media estimate the drugs could be worth up to €600 million (£520 million).
The seizure follows a similar interception in March last year when another narco-sub carrying almost 6.5 tonnes of cocaine was stopped near the Azores. Narco-subs have been used in South America since the 1980s but were first detected in European waters in 2006.
In a separate development, Spanish police dismantled a major cocaine smuggling operation that used speedboats and offshore bases to bring over 57 tonnes of the drug into Europe in the past year. The investigation led to 105 arrests and the seizure of 10.4 tonnes of cocaine and 30 boats.
