29 Nov, 2019 @ 13:19
2 mins read

All you need to know about historic trans-Atlantic cocaine submarine seized by police in Spain as experts believe much of €100 million haul was heading to UK

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HISTORIC: Narco-submarine was able to carry three tonnes of cocaine across the Atlantic Ocean from Colombia to Spain

IT was a historic moment for Spain’s never-ending war on drugs this week. 

What had been rumoured for years was finally confirmed when Guardia Civil intercepted a submarine stacked full of cocaine.

Discovered on Sunday off the coast of Pontevedra, Galicia, the submersible, which had come from Colombia, was resurfaced on Tuesday evening.

Once brought to the port of Aldan, Policia Nacional and other investigators were able to confirm it was around 20 metres long.

The first vessel of its kind to be caught in European waters, it was carrying 152 packages containing more than three tonnes of cocaine.

According to Galicia congressman Javier Losada, the drugs had a street value of more than €100 million.

He told press: “It is a historic operation, it is the first time that a vessel like this has been caught in Europe.”

He thanked the UK, US, Brazil and Portugal for their cooperation, saying ‘there will be a before and after in drug trafficking investigations after this international cooperation.’

It came before the UK’s National Crime Agency said a large portion of the drugs were most likely heading to the UK, which is among the top two cocaine markets in Europe, alongside Spain.

“It is highly likely a lot of this cocaine would have ended up on the streets of the UK, fuelling serious violence and impacting on the most vulnerable members of society,” Tom Dowdall, the NCA’s deputy director international said on Wednesday.

Despite two Ecuadorian crew members of the submarine being arrested, the investigation is far from over.

While they have been sent to prison ahead of trial, a third man, alleged to be Spanish, escaped from the vessel.

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Police finally mount submarine after bad weather and technical failures delayed bringing the vessel to shore for two days

Police are still searching for him and the Galicia-based organisation which was set to receive the shipment.

Investigators have narrowed down their focus, revealing that there are only a few ‘powerful’ groups capable of carrying out such an operation.

It comes after rumours of submarines making runs between Spain and Africa started way back in 2006.

Police were never able to shore up the whispers, let alone catch a submarine in action, making this week’s find so historic.

“No one had seen anything like it before, not even the Colombians,” sources close to the investigation said.

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Narcosubmarine being tugged to shore in Spain’s Galicia after having travelled from South America

It was only made possible thanks to a tip off from the US Drug Enforcement Agency.

Made in a secret shipyard in the jungles of Suriname or Guyana, the vessel had the fuel capacity to cross the ocean while carrying three tonnes of cargo.

“Drug traffickers are continuing to introduce drugs into Europe using any type of vessel, like this submarine,” Losada added.

The investigation continues.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

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