Portuguese authorities intercepted a drug-carrying vessel in the Atlantic Ocean with 1.7 tonnes of cocaine destined for European markets. Four crew members were arrested.
Portuguese authorities intercepted a narco-submarine carrying over 1.7 tonnes of cocaine across the Atlantic Ocean in an operation coordinated with multiple foreign agencies, the Portuguese Judicial Police announced Monday.
The semi-submersible vessel with four crew members aboard was bound for "several European countries," according to authorities, who did not specify the submarine's departure point or the nationalities of those arrested.
Operation El Dorado involved coordination between the Portuguese Judicial Police and the Navy, with support from UK and US authorities.
The Portuguese Air Force, the British National Crime Agency, the US Drug Enforcement Agency and the Joint Interagency Task Force South participated in the interdiction.
Portuguese police were also aided by intelligence from the Lisbon-based Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre on Drug Trafficking, which includes eight EU countries — Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal — in strengthening international cooperation against maritime and aerial drug trafficking.
Authorities described the seizure as "a new blow to transnational cocaine trafficking networks operating between Latin America and Europe".
The semi-submersible vessels, designed to travel partially submerged to evade detection, represent a preferred method for drug cartels moving large cocaine shipments from South America to European markets.
The Atlantic drug crossing typically originates from cocaine-producing regions in Colombia, Peru or Bolivia before traversing thousands of nautical miles to reach European shores.
Portuguese waters have increasingly become transit points for narcotics entering Europe, with authorities reporting rising interdictions as trafficking organisations adapt their routes and methods to avoid detection.