Portuguese police seize cocaine off Faro, one suspect dies in boat collision
Portugal's Judiciary Police announced on Monday, 12 October, that Operation Mare Nostrum seized cocaine from a high-speed boat about 80 nautical miles south of Faro, after a chase in which one suspect died and two others were detained.
Interception off Faro
The operation, named Mare Nostrum, took place on Sunday, 11 October, when officers intercepted a high-speed boat about 80 nautical miles south of Faro. The crew did not obey an order to stop, and the boat was pursued before it was boarded. Expresso reports that the boat was travelling at 50 knots and that a risky manoeuvre during the chase went wrong for the suspects. Three people were aboard, along with navigation equipment and other objects used to transport the cocaine, according to the Judiciary Police (PJ). Three military personnel fell into the sea during the operation, and no injuries were reported among them.
The cause of the death is described differently across sources. DN reports that the speedboat and an authorities' vessel collided after the suspects disobeyed orders. PJ director João Oliveira, speaking at a press conference in Lisbon, pointed to injuries sustained during the boarding:
One of the suspects, unfortunately, died as a result of serious injuries sustained at the moment of the boarding.
La Libre, citing navy spokesman Ricardo Sá Granja, reports that the suspect was evacuated to a hospital in Andalusia, southern Spain, and did not survive. Figaro gives the victim's age as 37 and describes him as a Spanish suspect. Expresso reports that the suspect died on the way to hospital, so the accounts differ on where the death occurred.
- Speedboat chased and intercepted about 80 nautical miles south of Faro, followed by a collision that left one suspect dead
- PJ announces the seizure of 3,700 kg of cocaine, one suspect dead and two foreign nationals detained
Seizure and arrests
The PJ says the operation seized 3,700 kg of cocaine. RTP and JN report about three tonnes, while Figaro and La Libre use 3.7 tonnes. DN reports that the two detained men are foreign nationals and will appear at a first interrogation at the Campus de Justiça in Lisbon. La Libre reports that the other suspects were placed in provisional detention and were due before a judge on Tuesday, 13 October.
The investigation
The PJ says the investigation began about six months before the announcement and was carried out with the Maritime Operations and Analysis Centre for Narcotics (MAOC-N), with the Portuguese Air Force and Spain's Guardia Civil. The operation also involved the Portuguese Navy, the Maritime Police and Italy's Guardia di Finanza. According to the PJ, the operation dismantled a criminal group that brought large quantities of drugs into Europe on high-speed boats. Oliveira said the cocaine came from Latin America and most likely was destined for Portugal. He added that Portugal's position on Europe's far western edge makes it an attractive target for these networks, but that the pattern is not unique to Portugal and is also seen in other European countries and elsewhere.
