Portugal seizes 2.6 tonnes of cocaine in major Atlantic bust

Portuguese authorities seized about 2,627 kilograms of cocaine off the Portuguese coast and arrested four suspected traffickers in Operation BUONGIORNO, one of the largest maritime cocaine busts in recent years. Italian border and customs police put the shipment’s street value at €500 million, or $570 million.

The drugs were intercepted from a go-fast vessel, a high-speed boat used to move cargo quickly across open water and cut down the time available for detection. The seizure was carried out by the Portuguese Judicial Police with support from the Portuguese Navy, the Maritime Police and the Portuguese Air Force, under the coordination of MAOC-N, the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre for Narcotics.

The four people detained were identified in follow-up coverage as two Spaniards, one Albanian and one man from Gibraltar. Their mix of nationalities underlines how maritime trafficking networks in Europe often cross borders before the drugs ever reach shore, relying on specialized crews, offshore handoffs and fast boats to move product from the Atlantic into the continent.

The bust points to the Atlantic as a continuing corridor for cocaine shipments leaving Latin America for European markets. That route has become a focal point for police and customs agencies because traffickers can exploit distance, weather, the density of legitimate maritime traffic and gaps between jurisdictions. Large sea interceptions depend on intelligence sharing and rapid coordination, and MAOC-N said the Portuguese operation showed how those links can translate into a major seizure when surveillance and interception line up at sea.

The haul also fits a wider pattern of stepped-up maritime enforcement. MAOC-N said Operation White Sea VI, which ran from June 8 to July 5 and involved 14 countries, targeted trafficking along the European Atlantic coast, the English Channel, the North Sea and major seaports, and led to the seizure of nearly half a tonne of cocaine in a separate operation. Portugal has also been a repeat interception point: MAOC-N recorded a 100-kilogram seizure in September 2024 and another 263-kilogram seizure in August 2025. Together, those cases show a route under pressure, even as traffickers keep testing new crossings and faster vessels.