Gerard Couzens
A 35-year-old British national has been arrested off the coast of the Algarve following a dramatic high-speed maritime chase that left a suspected drug trafficker dead and resulted in the seizure of nearly three tonnes of cocaine.
The joint law enforcement operation - codenamed Operation Mare Nostrum - was executed 80 nautical miles south of Faro by Portugal’s Polícia Judiciária (PJ), operating in close coordination with the Portuguese Navy, the Maritime Police, and Italy’s Guardia di Finanza.
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According to police sources, the crew of the high-powered vessel ignored orders to stop, initiating an extended pursuit in international waters that culminated in a collision between the narco-boat and a pursuing patrol craft. Three Portuguese officers were thrown into the sea during the impact, though none sustained serious injuries.
Fatality confirmed as Algeciras native
An unnamed Spanish national from Algeciras, who was on board the speed boat alongside the British detainee, suffered severe injury during the collision and died while being transported to hospital.
A third occupant on the vessel was also detained. While Portuguese police confirmed the arrest of the surviving crew members and the seizure of navigation equipment and cocaine bales, official statements from the PJ made no explicit mention of the suspect's death.
"The PJ... carried out an operation in recent days which led to the seizure of nearly three tonnes of cocaine and the dismantling of a criminal group dedicated to introducing large quantities of drugs into Europe using high-speed vessels," the Polícia Judiciária stated.
International cartel targeted
Authorities confirmed that the operation has dismantled a major international trafficking cell specialising in transatlantic cocaine smuggling into mainland Europe using high-speed rigid inflatable boats (RIBs).
The 35-year-old British suspect and the surviving crew member are expected to appear before a Portuguese magistrate to be formally remanded in custody pending further judicial investigation.