05.11.2025 16:07
Portuguese police seized a "narco-submarine" carrying over 1.7 tons of drugs in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The semi-submerged vessel was stopped by a joint operation of the Portuguese Navy and judicial police while it was heading towards the Iberian Peninsula.
The Portuguese police announced that four South American crew members were arrested in a major drug operation conducted in the Atlantic Ocean. It was reported that two of the suspects on the boat are Ecuadorian, one is Venezuelan, and one is Colombian, and all of them have been ordered to be held in custody by the court after being brought to trial in the Azores.
"THE ORGANIZATION HAS AN INTERNATIONAL STRUCTURE"
Vítor Ananias, the head of the Drug Enforcement Agency, stated that the presence of individuals with different nationalities indicates that the organization has an international structure.
MAJOR OPERATION AFTER INTELLIGENCE
The Lisbon-based Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC) had recently reported receiving intelligence that a criminal organization was preparing a submarine to transport drugs to Europe. Following this information, a ship belonging to the Portuguese Navy detected a suspicious vessel approximately 1,000 nautical miles (1,852 kilometers) off the coast of Lisbon. The operation was also supported by the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Navy officials stated that due to bad weather conditions and the weak structure of the vessel, it could not be towed to port and consequently sank in open water. Ananias pointed out that the conditions on the boat were extremely challenging, saying, "Days spent with high temperatures, fuel vapors, and high waves are extremely dangerous. After 15-20 days, your only wish is to get out of there."
INCREASED MILITARY OPERATIONS
The Portuguese police reported that attempts at smuggling using semi-submerged vessels have increased in recent years. In March, another submarine carrying 6.5 tons of drugs was seized 1,200 nautical miles off the coast of Lisbon. Meanwhile, the US administration is increasing its military operations against vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean. In an airstrike conducted last week, three people were killed, and the operations sparked international legal debates and reactions from Latin American countries.