Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
07-11-2025
LISBON: Four people have been detained after Portuguese authorities intercepted a narco-sub carrying more than 1.7 tons 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. Vitor Ananias, head of Portugal’s police unit to combat drug trafficking, told a press conference that their different nationalities showed the organization behind them was not just based in one country. The Lisbon-based Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC) said it had received information in recent days indicating that a criminal organization was in the process of dispatching a submersible loaded with cocaine destined for Europe.
A few days later, a Portuguese ship successfully located the submersible approximately 1,000 nautical miles (1,852km) off the coast of Lisbon, in an operation backed by the UK’s National Crime Agency and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
Having seized the vessel, the navy said it could not be towed back to shore due to poor weather and its fragile construction, and it later sank in the open sea.
Vítor Ananias told reporters that “between the heat, the vessel’s fumes and high waves, with difficult weather conditions, even one day is tricky (for the four men on board). By the end of 15 or 20 days all you want is to get out”.
Such incidents like these had been a “recurring situation in recent years”, he added, in remarks quoted by Lusa news agency.
In March this year, a similar vessel carrying 6.5 tons of cocaine was seized about 1,200 nautical miles from Lisbon. It also comes as the Trump administration ramps up its attacks on vessels it says are being used to smuggle drugs into the US.
Three men were killed last week in a US strike on an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday.
Experts have questioned the legality of such strikes under international law and they have drawn strong criticism from Latin American leaders whose citizens have been targeted.
In recent days, a maritime operation carried out by the Portuguese Navy and the Judicial Police resulted in the interception of a Self-Propelled Semi-Submersible (SPSS) vessel transporting more than 1.7 tons of cocaine.
Information received through MAOC-N indicated that a criminal organization was in the process of dispatching a vessel loaded with cocaine destined for Europe. MAOC-N partners immediately began working on this intelligence, and the Portuguese authorities offered to deploy maritime assets to conduct the at-sea operation.
A few days later, a Portuguese vessel successfully located the SPSS approximately 1000 nautical miles off Lisbon and carried out a boarding operation, which led to the seizure of 1740kg of cocaine and the arrest of four crew members.
Due to adverse weather and sea conditions, as well as the fragile construction of the SPSS, it was not possible to complete the towing of the narco-submarine, which subsequently sank in the open sea.
This is the second SPSS intercepted by the Portuguese authorities in 2025. In March, a joint operation involving the Portuguese Navy, Judicial Police and Air Force, conducted approximately 1200 nautical miles off Lisbon, resulted in the seizure of six tons of cocaine. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
