Tue Mar 25 13:36:13 UTC 2025: ## Record Cocaine Seizure Off Azores: 6.5 Tonnes Confiscated
**PONTA DELGADA, Azores –** Portuguese authorities announced a major victory in the fight against drug trafficking on Tuesday, revealing the seizure of nearly 6.5 tonnes of cocaine from a semi-submersible vessel intercepted in the mid-Atlantic. The bust, representing almost a quarter of the total cocaine seized in Portugal in all of 2024 (a record 23 tonnes), occurred approximately 500 nautical miles south of the Azores archipelago.
The operation involved the Portuguese Navy and Air Force, along with international partners including the US Drug Enforcement Agency, the British National Crime Agency, and the Spanish Guardia Civil. Five crew members, suspected members of an international drug trafficking ring, were apprehended aboard the vessel, which was en route to the Iberian Peninsula.
The use of semi-submersible vessels, often referred to as narco-submarines, to smuggle cocaine across the Atlantic is a well-established tactic used to evade detection. While not fully submersible submarines, these vessels possess capabilities to partially or completely submerge, making detection difficult. The intercepted vessel was carrying a significant shipment of cocaine, believed to originate in Latin America, a major source of cocaine smuggled into Portugal and Europe. The successful interception highlights the ongoing international cooperation required to combat transnational drug trafficking.
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