Lisbon, Aug. 5, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese Judicial Police (PJ) seized five tonnes of cocaine from a container ship which was raided on Tuesday at the port of Sines, in the region of Setubal, the police force announced on Wednesday.

During Operation «Skydrop», which involved cooperation from the Portuguese Navy and Air Force, three people were also arrested: two passengers «travelling illegally without valid documentation» and a crew member, «on suspicion of being involved in the criminal scheme».

The group is believed to have been involved in «smuggling large quantities of drugs into mainland Europe» and is reported to have been dismantled.

According to the PJ, Portugal's main criminal investigation agency, the container ship, «originating from a Latin American country, was detected and boarded some 640 nautical miles from Lisbon – equivalent to 1,185 kilometres – under extremely difficult conditions» and «escorted by the Navy to the Port of Sines, where it docked in the early hours» of Tuesday.

The investigation had been underway since August under the auspices of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N, by its official acronym), «as part of international police cooperation and in close collaboration and coordination with the police and judicial authorities of the United Kingdom (National Crime Agency) and Spain (Policía Nacional)».

When contacted by the Lusa news agency, the commander of the Sines Port Authority, Rui Vasconcelos, revealed that the vessel left the port today at 09:55.

According to the Vessel Finder platform, the container ship had been moored at the port of Colón in Panama before being routed to Sines and is still bound for Tangier in Morocco, where it is due to arrive on Saturday.

IB/AYLS // AYLS

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