The Judiciary Police, through the National Unit to Combat Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and with the support of the Navy and the Air Force, conducted at the end of last week an operation to combat illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs by sea, which resulted in the location and subsequent seizure of a sailboat type recreational craft which was being used for the transport of high quantities of cocaine between the Caribbean and Europe.

The vessel in question, with the flag of a foreign country, was initially located off the Azores Archipelago, eventually entering the marina of the city of Horta, in Faial Island, where it was searched by the Judicial Police, which were supported by members of the Maritime Police in the city of Horta.

As a result, compartments specially created in the structure of the vessel for the transportation of narcotics containing 700 cocaine plates with an approximate total gross weight of 840 kg were found.

On board were two men and two women who were detained and who according to the evidence already collected will be part of a criminal organization established in different countries of the European continent and Latin America.

This is a result of an investigation initiated recently by the National Unit to Combat Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs of the Judiciary Police following a fruitful exchange of information with the French authorities in the framework of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Center – Narcotics. This has been developed by the authorities of several countries with a view to interdicting the introduction of cocaine into the Europe that is transported in different types of vessels crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

In the last three months has allowed several operations to be carried out, resulting in seizure of more than 10 tons of cocaine.

The detainees, all foreigners and aged between 21 and 36 years, appeared at the first judicial interrogation, and pre-trial detention was applied to two of them.

The investigation is carried out by the Judicial Police in cooperation with the authorities of other countries.