In a landmark maritime operation, Portuguese authorities have seized a record-breaking haul of cocaine with an estimated street value of £520 million from a so-called 'narco submarine' intercepted in the North Atlantic. The sophisticated semi-submersible vessel was apprehended while en route to Europe, marking a significant blow to international drug trafficking networks.
Unprecedented Interception in Challenging Conditions
The Portuguese Polícia Judiciária, working through its National Unit for Combating Drug Trafficking, conducted the complex operation "in recent days" approximately 265 miles off the Azores archipelago. A police spokesperson described this as "the biggest seizure of cocaine ever in Portugal," highlighting the historic nature of the bust.
Authorities faced particularly difficult weather conditions during the interception, requiring coordinated assistance from the Portuguese Navy and Air Force alongside international partners from the United Kingdom and United States. Dramatic footage released by Portuguese police shows officers navigating rough seas as they attempted to reach the submersible craft.
Massive Drug Cache and Crew Arrests
Inside the vessel, which originated from Latin America, authorities discovered 300 bales of cocaine totaling nearly nine tonnes. Although the submersible eventually sank during the operation, Portuguese forces managed to recover 265 of the packages, with 35 lost to the sea.
The vessel was crewed by four foreign nationals, including three Colombians and one Venezuelan, all of whom were arrested following the interception. Images released by police reveal dozens of tightly packed bales of cocaine stacked inside the vessel, providing visual evidence of the enormous scale of the shipment.
Evolving Threat of Semi-Submersible Trafficking
While semi-submersible vessels have been used for decades to transport massive drug shipments in Colombia and other parts of South and Central America, their appearance in European waters represents a relatively recent development. The first such 'narco-sub' detected in European waters was recovered off Galicia, Spain in 2019, indicating an expansion of trafficking routes and methods.
Portuguese police confirmed that an investigation is now underway "in coordination with partner authorities from other countries," suggesting ongoing international cooperation to combat this sophisticated form of maritime drug smuggling.
Broader Context of Anti-Trafficking Operations
This record European seizure occurs against a backdrop of intensified anti-narcotics operations in Atlantic and Pacific waters. Just days before the Portuguese interception, the US military reported conducting a deadly strike on a vessel accused of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in two fatalities.
According to announcements from US military sources, there have been 36 known strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats in South American waters since early September, resulting in at least 117 fatalities. The majority of these operations have occurred in the Caribbean Sea region.
The successful Portuguese operation demonstrates growing international coordination against sophisticated drug trafficking networks employing advanced maritime technology. As authorities on both sides of the Atlantic intensify their efforts, the interception of this £520 million cocaine shipment represents one of the most significant blows to transatlantic drug smuggling in recent years.
