Story By: Jonathan Macias, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
Video Credit: CEN
This footage shows the first narco submarine aboard which cops nabbed 152 packages with 3,000 tonnes of cocaine being pulled from the water following a joint operation between Spanish, British, Portuguese, Brazilian and American police.
According to local media, the submarine sank close to the shore of Pontevedra in the province with the same name in the Spanish northern autonomous community of Galicia.
Local authorities confirmed that they managed to pull the submarine out of the water with a crane this Wednesday morning before it was towed by the Spanish Civil Guard and the Customs Surveillance Service to the Aldan port in Pontevedra.
According to the Spanish Civil Guard, the narco submarine is the first found in Europe and they seized 152 cocaine packages out of it this morning (Wednesday).
The cargo reportedly contained 3,000 kilogrammes (6,614 lbs) of cocaine and the submarine was capable of transporting between three and five tonnes of cocaine.
The sailors reportedly sank the submarine when the crew could not complete the journey due to the bad weather conditions. As can be seen in the images, the crew had a small vessel with them which they used to protect themselves from the ocean.
The Spanish Civil Guard report the submarine sinking was detected by one of their patrols on Sunday morning and one person from Ecuador was arrested time wearing a neoprene suit.
Then at 9 a.m. on the same morning, a second Ecuadorian man was also arrested. Local authorities are reportedly looking for a third man who managed to escape.
Spanish local authorities also added they managed to intercept the submarine because they were warned by the Maritime Analysis and Operation Centre (MAOC) and the Intelligence Centre for Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO) about a suspicious ship sailing towards Spain in the Atlantic ocean.
In this first phase, collaboration with the UK police forces were reportedly essential to facilitate the subsequent interception of the submarine.
The Portuguese, British, Brazilian and American police also helped in the operation.
The investigation is still ongoing to determine the criminal organisation behind the shipment and its origin.
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