The Navy of Portugal, in a joint action with the Air Force and the country’s Judiciary Police, arrested three Brazilians, a Spaniard and a Colombian who were aboard a submersible that carried about 6.5 tons of cocaine in the Azores archipelago, according to Portuguese national defense.
The Navy, the Portuguese Air Force and the Judiciary Police intercepted a semi-submersible that approached the Azores, destined for the Iberian Peninsula.
The ship carried about 6.5 tons of cocaine.
Five people were arrested and the load seized.– National Defense (@defesa_pt)
The vessel, which belongs to a trafficking network, left South America towards Europe, the seizure was one of the largest ever made in the country.
The use of submersible drug transport is already usual in terms of large international trafficking networks, but it is the first time that Portuguese authorities have seized this type of submersible in the Atlantic Ocean.
The vessel was towed back to Costa and the suspects of trafficking were arrested.
Called “Nautilus”, the operation that seized, was attended by the Civil Guard of Spain and US and UK authorities.
