Portugal's Police Make Record Seizure of Cocaine from Submarine Amid Rising Trafficking Tensions
In a significant operation, Portuguese authorities have intercepted and seized almost nine tonnes of cocaine from a semi-submersible vessel in the Atlantic Ocean. The record-breaking haul is believed to be the largest shipment of the drug ever found on one of these European-bound vessels.
The interception occurred in coordination with US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and UK National Crime Agency, and resulted in the arrest of four men – three Colombians and a Venezuelan – who were on board the vessel. The crew had set sail from Latin America, carrying an estimated 300 bales of cocaine worth up to €600m (£520m).
This latest operation comes amidst rising tensions in cocaine trafficking in European waters. The use of semi-submersible vessels has become increasingly common in South and Central America since the 1980s, but it wasn't until recent years that these vessels began to be detected in European waters.
In fact, just last year, Portuguese police intercepted another narco-sub off the Azores carrying almost six tonnes of cocaine. Similarly, Spanish authorities have seen a significant increase in cocaine seizures over the past few months, with multiple operations targeting narco-subs and speedboats.
Experts point to plummeting cocaine prices as one reason behind the rise in trafficking activity. "The price of the merchandise is really, really low," said Alberto Morales, head of Spain's National police narcotics brigade. "Organisations have logically had a rethink. Rather than sink them, they now unload the merchandise and set up refuelling platforms at sea to make as many journeys as possible."
This latest operation highlights the growing sophistication and scale of cocaine trafficking networks in Europe. Spanish authorities recently dismantled a massive smuggling operation involving over 57 tonnes of cocaine, with 105 arrests and confiscation of 10.4 tonnes of the drug.
The use of speedboats and offshore bases to bring cocaine into Europe has become increasingly common. Investigators have discovered that gang members based in southern Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, and Morocco used dark cover to rendezvous with supply ships, loading drugs onto speedboats that could reach speeds of 40 knots.
In a significant operation, Portuguese authorities have intercepted and seized almost nine tonnes of cocaine from a semi-submersible vessel in the Atlantic Ocean. The record-breaking haul is believed to be the largest shipment of the drug ever found on one of these European-bound vessels.
The interception occurred in coordination with US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and UK National Crime Agency, and resulted in the arrest of four men – three Colombians and a Venezuelan – who were on board the vessel. The crew had set sail from Latin America, carrying an estimated 300 bales of cocaine worth up to €600m (£520m).
This latest operation comes amidst rising tensions in cocaine trafficking in European waters. The use of semi-submersible vessels has become increasingly common in South and Central America since the 1980s, but it wasn't until recent years that these vessels began to be detected in European waters.
In fact, just last year, Portuguese police intercepted another narco-sub off the Azores carrying almost six tonnes of cocaine. Similarly, Spanish authorities have seen a significant increase in cocaine seizures over the past few months, with multiple operations targeting narco-subs and speedboats.
Experts point to plummeting cocaine prices as one reason behind the rise in trafficking activity. "The price of the merchandise is really, really low," said Alberto Morales, head of Spain's National police narcotics brigade. "Organisations have logically had a rethink. Rather than sink them, they now unload the merchandise and set up refuelling platforms at sea to make as many journeys as possible."
This latest operation highlights the growing sophistication and scale of cocaine trafficking networks in Europe. Spanish authorities recently dismantled a massive smuggling operation involving over 57 tonnes of cocaine, with 105 arrests and confiscation of 10.4 tonnes of the drug.
The use of speedboats and offshore bases to bring cocaine into Europe has become increasingly common. Investigators have discovered that gang members based in southern Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, and Morocco used dark cover to rendezvous with supply ships, loading drugs onto speedboats that could reach speeds of 40 knots.
just saw the news about that massive cocaine seizure off the coast of Portugal 
and I gotta say it's mind-blowing... like they're getting more brazen by the day! Those guys must've had some serious resources to pull off an operation on that scale. And yeah, experts are saying the low price is a big factor in why trafficking is on the rise - makes sense, if you can get something for pennies and sell it for hundreds of thousands... it's a no-brainer! But seriously, the fact that these narco-sub ops are getting more complex and sophisticated is super worrying 
. We need to crack down on this ASAP before it gets even worse!
just got word that some major busts are goin down in europe... like, cocaine seizures are goin thru the roof rn! Portugal just intercepted a record-breaking haul from a submarine thingy (semi-submersible vessel, idk what) and it's almost 9 tonnes of pure coke 
. but like, at what cost? these trafficking networks are gettin more sophisticated by the day... 57 tonnes of coke, 105 arrests... yikes! 
. Like, what's the real reason people are getting into this? Is it just because they wanna make a quick buck or is there something deeper going on? And why do we keep seeing more of these semi-submersible vessels popping up in Europe? Is it really that hard to intercept them? 
I mean, we're talking about almost 9 tonnes of coke here... where's the money from all this trafficking supposed to be going? To some sort of super-organized cartel or what? We need to dig deeper than just saying "oh, prices are low" 
what needs to change here is how we tackle these trafficking networks, it's clear they're getting more brazen by the day 
i feel like we're playing a game of whack-a-mole here, where we just keep popping up new narco-submarines in their place. 
! But at the same time, you can't help but think about all the people who get hurt by this stuff - the dealers, the users, the families affected by addiction... it's just so sad 
.
and 9 tonnes of coke yeah thats a lotta dope 
i feel bad for the guys who got caught but you gotta respect the authorities for keeping our waters clean 
what's next gonna be ships carrying more than just boats 
?
, it's like, you know how they say cocaine prices are low nowadays? 
. And let me tell you, 9 tonnes of coke is a LOT of coke... we're talking serious money 
. It's like they're playing a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with the authorities 
. And honestly, it's only going to get more intense before someone gets caught in the crossfire 
.
.
and it's all worth like €600m 
cocaine traffickers are getting greedy 
and it's getting harder to catch them 
like USA and UK to crack down on this 
but it's a cat-and-mouse game 
these trafficking networks are getting more sophisticated by the minute and it's like we're running out of options to catch them. need a total overhaul of our anti-trafficking efforts stat! 
. Just seems like we need to take a stand against this stuff and make it harder for these guys to operate