In brief
Portuguese authorities have detained four suspects and seized a narco-sub carrying 1.7 tonnes of cocaine 1,000 nautical miles off Lisbon. The operation involved multiple international agencies and reflects a continuing problem with maritime drug trafficking. The vessel was reported too fragile to be towed and ultimately sank at sea.
Four people have been detained after Portuguese authorities intercepted a narco-sub carrying more than 1.7 tonnes of cocaine in the mid-Atlantic.
The semi-submersible vessel was bound for the Iberian peninsula and was seized in recent days, according to officials.
Footage shows the police and navy surrounding the vessel before boarding, seizing the Class A substance and arresting four crew members, who are said to be from South America.
The suspects, including two Ecuadorians, a Venezuelan and a Colombian, were remanded in pre-trial custody after their court appearance in the Azores on Tuesday, said police.
Vítor Ananias, head of Portugal's police unit to combat drug trafficking, told a press conference that their different nationalities showed the organisation behind them was not just based in one country.
The Lisbon-based Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC) stated it had received information indicating that a criminal organisation was dispatching a loaded submersible bound for Europe.
A Portuguese ship successfully located the submersible approximately 1,000 nautical miles off the coast of Lisbon, in an operation backed by the UK's National Crime Agency and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
After the seizure, the navy reported that the narco-sub was too fragile to be towed back to shore due to poor weather conditions and ultimately sank in the open sea.
Such incidents had been a recurring situation in recent years, Ananias noted. Similar vessels have been apprehended in the past, including one carrying 6.5 tonnes of cocaine earlier in March.
This incident aligns with increased efforts from U.S. authorities to target drug smuggling routes, sparking legal and ethical discussions among international observers.
