Four people have been detained after Portuguese authorities intercepted a narco-sub carrying more than 1.7 tonnes of cocaine in the mid-Atlantic.
The semi-submersible vessel was bound for the Iberian peninsula and was seized in recent days, according to officials.
Footage shows the police and navy surrounding the vessel before boarding, seizing the Class A substance and arresting four crew members, who are said to be from South America.
The suspects, including two Ecuadorians, a Venezuelan and a Colombian, were remanded in pre-trial custody after their court appearance in the Azores on Tuesday, said police.
Vítor Ananias, head of Portugal's police unit to combat drug trafficking, told a press conference that their different nationalities showed the organisation behind them was not just based in one country.
The Lisbon-based Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC) indicated that a criminal organisation was in the process of dispatching a submersible loaded with cocaine destined for Europe.
A Portuguese ship successfully located the submersible approximately 1,000 nautical miles (1,852km) off the coast of Lisbon, in an operation backed by the UK's National Crime Agency and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
Having seized the vessel, the navy stated it could not be towed back to shore due to poor weather and its fragile construction; it later sank in the open sea.
Vítor Ananias noted that between the heat, the vessel's fumes and high waves, with difficult weather conditions, even one day is tricky. By the end of 15 or 20 days all you want is to get out.
Such incidents had been a recurring situation in recent years, he added. In March, a similar vessel carrying 6.5 tonnes of cocaine was seized about 1,200 nautical miles from Lisbon.
This operation comes amid intensified efforts by the Trump administration to combat drug smuggling into the US, including recent military actions that have raised international legal concerns.
