Portugal Seizes 9 Tons of Cocaine via Narcosubmarine: A New Era of Drug Trafficking

The Largest Cocaine Seizure in Portugal

• 🇵🇹 Portuguese police intercepted a narco-submarine carrying nine tons of cocaine off the coast of the Azores.
• 🎯 This seizure represents the largest amount of cocaine ever confiscated on Portuguese national territory.
• 👥 The crew consisted of one Venezuelan and three Colombians.

Narcosubmersibles: A Growing Threat

• 🚤 The intercepted craft was more of a semi-submersible than a full submarine, measuring 15-20 meters long and up to 3 meters deep.
• 🗺️ These vessels are built in remote locations, such as the jungle in Colombia, and are designed for long-distance voyages across the Atlantic.
• 👻 Described as "ghost boats" or "ghost submarines," they operate discreetly, often navigating by sight, and are typically destroyed, abandoned, or sunk after unloading their cargo.

Diversification of Trafficking Routes

• 📈 Interceptions of narcosubmarines near Portugal are becoming more frequent, with significant seizures occurring in autumn and the previous March.
• 🌍 Drug cartels are actively diversifying their supply lines to Europe to circumvent law enforcement efforts.
• 🚀 Traffickers are willing to explore any means necessary to transport narcotics, with a mindset of using any available method if a market exists.

The Future of Narco-Vessels

• 🤖 The discussion includes the potential for unmanned and autonomous crafts to be used in future narco-trafficking operations.
• 🧪 An autonomous submarine, believed to be in a testing phase, was seized in Colombia the previous summer, indicating technological advancements in this area.