The Portuguese Navy and the Judiciary Police (PJ) have seized over 1,650 kilograms of cocaine onboard a sailing vessel southeast of the Azores archipelago as part of a high-seas drug trafficking combat operation involving both entities.
To intercept the vessel more than 1,400 nautical miles from Lisbon, equivalent to approximately 2,600 kilometers, the Navy deployed over 50 military personnel and a “vast array of resources” from the Naval Force System Component, including “command and control, patrol, and inspection capabilities.”
In total, the authorities covered more than 1,500 nautical miles, around 2,800 kilometers, over the course of more than 200 hours during the operation.
It is noteworthy that in March, the Portuguese Navy also collaborated with the PJ in the seizure of a vessel carrying over six tons of cocaine, more than 1,200 nautical miles, about 2,200 kilometers from Lisbon.
In a statement, the Navy notes that these operations “demonstrate the capability” and the “significant support” of this force in the “fight against international” drug trafficking, in partnership with the PJ.
