4.8 Tonnes of Cocaine Seized In Major International Maritime Drug Bust

Portuguese authorities have intercepted a vessel carrying 4,842 kilogrammes of cocaine in a major international counter-narcotics operation in the Atlantic Ocean.

The operation followed intelligence gathered by the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-South), which detected and tracked a suspicious “go-fast” vessel travelling from the coast of South America into the Atlantic.

According to the account, JIATF-South monitored the vessel as smugglers transferred the illicit cargo to a large container ship and relayed real-time intelligence to the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre-Narcotics (MAOC-N).

Acting on the intelligence, Portugal’s Polícia Judiciária, Portuguese Navy and Portuguese Air Force intercepted the container ship about 173 nautical miles southwest of the Azores.

The authorities boarded the vessel, recovered 4,842kg of cocaine and arrested three suspects.

The operation involved cooperation between agencies from the United States, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Spain, including JIATF-South, MAOC-N, the UK’s National Crime Agency and Spain’s Policía Nacional.

The seizure highlights the growing importance of international intelligence-sharing and coordinated maritime operations in disrupting transatlantic drug-trafficking networks.