Status: 03/14/2023 5:58 p.m
It probably came from South America: Investigators found a submarine off the coast of Galicia that was probably used to transport drugs. However, the cargo was probably brought ashore some time ago.
Spanish police have recovered a sunken suspected drug submarine off the coast of the north-west of the country which they spotted in the Arousa estuary yesterday. As seen in a Civil Guard video, the inflated hull emerged from the sea off the port city of Vilagarcía de Arousa in Galicia.
Authorities believe the boat, at least 15 meters long, was transporting cocaine from Colombia to Spain, reports the newspaper “El País”. Two speedboats discovered on a beach in February indicated that the cargo was probably brought ashore before the sinking. But there will only be certainty when the boat has been brought ashore, it said.
“One-time submarines” transport drugs across the Atlantic
A similar, 20-meter-long submersible was intercepted off the coast of Galicia in 2019. At that time, two members of the crew from Ecuador were arrested. Three tons of cocaine were on board.
Such boats, which travel close to the surface of the water, have been built in shipyards hidden in the Colombian jungle for years. Depending on their size, the boats can transport several tons of Doge worth several hundred million euros across the Atlantic. They are usually used only once and are difficult to locate. Galicia is one of the major hubs for cocaine in Europe.