Overview
- A semi‑submersible traveling from Latin America was intercepted in international waters roughly 260 miles south of the Azores during severe weather, and the fragile vessel later sank.
- Four crew members — three Colombians and one Venezuelan — were detained and are set to be presented to judicial authorities.
- The operation, codenamed Adam‑astor, was coordinated by Portugal’s Polícia Judiciária with support from the navy and air force and cooperation from U.S. and U.K. agencies.
- Authorities estimate close to nine tonnes were recovered after 35 of the 300 bales were lost when the craft partially collapsed, with final weighing pending and Portuguese media valuing the haul at about €600 million.
- Police released video of the boarding as security services note narco‑subs are increasingly used on transatlantic routes even though shipping containers remain the main vector for cocaine smuggling.