The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) has announced that it is monitoring the situation involving three Brazilian nationals among five foreigners detained by the Judiciary Police (PJ) on Tuesday. The arrests occurred 500 miles from the Azores, where the group was found aboard a semi-submersible vessel carrying 6.5 tons of cocaine.
In a statement, Itamaraty mentioned that through the Brazilian Consulate-General in Lisbon, it is providing consular assistance to the detainees and their families.
Brazilian media have identified the suspects as Maikon Reis da Silva, 38, Nelson da Páscoa Corrêa Costa, 61, and José Mauro Gonçalves, 52. All are reportedly from the state of Pará, specifically from the cities of Abaetetuba and Igarapé-Mirim.
Reports also indicate a connection to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) group, noting that the submarine departed from the state of Amapá, Brazil.
The detainees also include a Colombian and a Spaniard.
The vessel was en route from Brazil to the Iberian Peninsula.
Notícias ao Minuto | 19:01 – 27/03/2025
The PJ has reported that the detainees were transported from the Azores to Lisbon to appear at the Campus of Justice for an initial judicial interrogation. They have been remanded to preventive custody, the most severe form of pre-trial detention.
On the previous Wednesday, Luis Neves, the national director of the PJ, described the operation, named ‘Nautilus’, as “a severe blow to a criminal organization” during a joint press conference with various involved forces, including Spain’s Guardia Civil.
According to Luis Neves, the organization is one of many attempting to “flood Europe with cocaine,” a trade linked to numerous crimes from corruption and money laundering to kidnappings, abductions, and murders, all for territorial control.
Neves highlighted that this was the first successful operation of its kind on open seas, as submarines are often scuttled to eliminate evidence.
“We are talking about many millions at stake here,” Neves remarked.
While declining to reveal the source country of the drugs due to ongoing operations “across the Atlantic,” Neves confirmed that the cocaine originated from South America.
“This is a war against organized crime,” he emphasized, referring to the resources involved.
The submersibles used for these routes are constructed by drug cartels themselves in illegal, makeshift shipyards. “They are manufactured and equipped with cutting-edge technology,” Neves stated.
In collaboration with Spanish authorities, several shipyards producing fast boats for this purpose have been dismantled.
“These organizations typically possess significant financial capabilities,” Neves added.
