A massive international operation has led to the interception of a narcosubmarine in the Atlantic Ocean carrying over 1.7 tonnes of cocaine, Portuguese authorities confirmed this week.
The semi-submersible vessel was intercepted by Portugal’s Judicial Police (PJ) and Navy, with key assistance from the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF South).
The submarine, manned by four crew members, was reportedly bound for the Iberian Peninsula, although it is not known whether it was heading to Spain or Portugal.
Authorities believe the drug shipment was ultimately intended for distribution across multiple European countries. The origin of the vessel remains undisclosed.
The operation, code-named ‘El Dorado’, also involved Portugal’s Air Force and relied heavily on intelligence from the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre, Narcotics (MAOC-N), based in Lisbon.
The MAOC-N brings together eight EU countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal) to combat drug trafficking via maritime and aerial routes.
This is not the first time such covert vessels have been intercepted en route to Spanish shores.
Just last week, Spanish authorities seized 1.4 tonnes of hashish in a raid near the Guadalquivir estuary, underlining the scale and persistence of drug trafficking operations in and around the Iberian Peninsula.
Read more Costa del Crime news at the Spanish Eye.
