Four people have been detained after Portuguese authorities intercepted a narco-sub carrying more than 1.7 tonnes of cocaine in the mid-Atlantic.
The semi-submersible vessel was bound for the Iberian peninsula and was seized in recent days, according to officials.
Footage shows the police and navy surrounding the vessel before boarding, seizing the Class A substance and arresting four crew members, who are said to be from South America.
The suspects, including two Ecuadorians, a Venezuelan, and a Colombian, were remanded in pre-trial custody after their court appearance in the Azores on Tuesday, said police.
Vítor Ananias, head of Portugal's police unit to combat drug trafficking, indicated that their different nationalities showed the organization behind them was not just based in one country.
The Lisbon-based Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC) had received information indicating that a criminal organization was in the process of dispatching a submersible loaded with cocaine for Europe.
A few days later, a Portuguese ship successfully located the submersible approximately 1,000 nautical miles off the coast of Lisbon, in an operation backed by the UK's National Crime Agency and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
After seizing the vessel, the navy stated it could not be towed back to shore due to poor weather and its fragile construction, leading to it sinking in the open sea.
Ananias told reporters that between the heat, the vessel's fumes and high waves, with difficult weather conditions, even one day is tricky [for the four men on board]. By the end of 15 or 20 days all you want is to get out.
He added that such incidents had been a recurring situation in recent years. A similar vessel carrying 6.5 tonnes of cocaine was seized earlier this year about 1,200 nautical miles from Lisbon.
This operation coincides with increased scrutiny of vessels suspected of smuggling drugs into the US, following recent military action resulting in casualties among crew members aboard suspected drug vessels.
