Spanish police have recovered an alleged drug submarine sunk off the country’s northwest coast.
The hull, inflated with air, emerged from the sea off the port city of Vilagarcía de Arousa, in Galicia, on Tuesday, as shown in a Guardia Civil video.
Authorities assumed that the 20-meter-long boat was transporting cocaine from Colombia to Spain, as reported by the newspaper El País.
During an initial search, however, neither drugs nor people were found inside the submarine, as the representative of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior in Galicia, José Miñones, told journalists. On land, however, they want to do more detailed investigations.
Authorities suspect the cargo may have been brought ashore before the sinking, as indicated by two speedboats spotted on a beach in February. But there will only be certainty when the boat is brought ashore.
built in the jungle
A similar submersible 20 meters long was intercepted off the coast of Galicia in 2019. At that time, two crew members from Ecuador were arrested. Three tons of cocaine were on board.
These boats, which travel close to the surface of the water, were built in shipyards hidden in the Colombian jungle for years. Depending on their size, the boats can transport several tons of cocaine worth several hundred million euros across the Atlantic. They are usually only used once and are difficult to locate.
Galicia is one of Europe’s main cocaine hubs. According to authorities, several autonomous community clans have been supplying drugs from South America from the traditionally poor region of Europe for decades. Clan chiefs are usually revered by the population as heroes who provide jobs and better living conditions.