Portuguese authorities seized approximately five tonnes [1] of cocaine from a Hong Kong-flagged container ship in the Atlantic Ocean this week.
The bust represents a major blow to international trafficking routes and highlights the increasing role of the Iberian Peninsula as a primary entry point for narcotics into Europe.
The operation, codenamed “Skydrop,” began late Monday, Aug. 3, 2024, and concluded Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2024 [2]. It involved a coalition of agencies, including Portugal's Judiciary Police (PJ), the Portuguese Air Force and Navy, Britain's National Crime Agency, and Spain's National Police [3].
Officers intercepted the vessel roughly 640 nautical miles [3] off the coast of Lisbon. Following the interception, the ship was escorted to the Port of Sines in the Setúbal district, located south of Lisbon [3, 4].
During the search, authorities discovered the drugs in two separate locations. "Most of the cocaine was inside a container and another part was already hidden in the ship's hold," João Oliveira of Portugal's Judiciary Police said [5].
The seizure is estimated to have a street value of around €500 million [4]. While some reports suggested a lower amount of 2.6 tonnes, official figures from the PJ and other primary sources maintain the total was approximately five tonnes [1, 6].
Three foreign nationals were arrested during the operation [6]. Portuguese officials said that Portugal has already confiscated more cocaine in 2026 than in all of last year [6].
“The street value of the seizure is around €500 million.”
The scale of the 'Skydrop' operation and the volume of the seizure indicate a surge in high-capacity maritime smuggling. By utilizing container ships flagged in distant jurisdictions like Hong Kong, trafficking organizations are attempting to mask the origin of shipments. The fact that 2026 seizure totals have already surpassed the previous year suggests either a significant increase in the flow of narcotics into Portugal or a heightened capability in multinational intelligence sharing and enforcement.
