First "narcosubmarine" detected in Europe intercepted on Galician coast
Operation of the Tax Agency, Civil Guard and National Police
- Two Ecuadorian nationals have been arrested and a third is being sought
- He was transporting three tons of cocaine in 152 bales whose origin is still being investigated.
November 27, 2019 .- The Tax Agency, the Civil Guard and the National Police have already refloated the submarine intercepted last Saturday with 3,000 kilos of cocaine just a few miles from the beach of Hío, in the Morrazo region (Pontevedra). Once the count was completed last night, a total of 152 bales were seized. The submarine, from which they intended to transfer the drugs to another vessel, is already in the port of Aldán, in Cangas (Pontevedra), where the drugs have been extracted from inside the vessel.
This is the first “narco-submarine” detected on the European continent. Two people - of Ecuadorian nationality - have been arrested in the operation and a third person is on the run, whose whereabouts are still unknown.
The investigation began when the Maritime Analysis and Operations Center for Drug Trafficking (MAOC) alerted the Intelligence Center against Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO) about a suspicious vessel heading to Spain across the Atlantic loaded with cocaine. In this first phase, collaboration with the UK police forces has been essential for the subsequent interception of the submarine. Police from Portugal, the United States and Brazil also participated in the operation.
From that moment on, a police operation was deployed with naval and air resources from A Coruña and Pontevedra, while the police presence was reinforced throughout the coastal area.
When the submarine finally arrived on Saturday night at the Morrazo Peninsula (Pontevedra), a patrol with night vision equipment was able to see the arrival of the device and the subsequent escape of its crew.
Due to the stormy conditions at sea, the semi-submersible was unable to deliver the drugs to a third vessel, forcing it to move to the coast where the detainees caused it to sink and abandoned it.
At that moment, a person who appeared equipped with a neoprene suit was stopped. At 9 a.m. on Sunday, a second drug trafficker was arrested. The third crew member has fled and is currently missing.
The investigation is still ongoing to determine both the origin of the drugs and the organization that was to receive them in Spain. Although the use of submarines is very common in America, this is the first time that this drug transport system has been detected in Europe. It is a hand-made device made of fiber, with the capacity and autonomy to transport between three and five tons of cocaine.
Operation filming (to download the videos, enter the following web addresses):
Night images of the Customs Surveillance helicopter, exploration and arrival at port
Images of the submarine's exploration and arrival at port
Photographs of the operation