At some point in the last few days, Portuguese Judicial Police (PJ), along with the Portuguese Navy, "intercepted a semi-submersible vessel in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean."
I know what you're thinking. It was probably just a submarine filled with poor, humble fishermen trying to earn a living in international waters, right?
Maybe narco-fishermen.
It was actually filled with 1.7 metric tons of cocaine and four men on board who reportedly have ties to a criminal organization. Authorities say it was headed for the Iberian Peninsula with plans to distribute the drugs throughout various countries in Europe.
The four men will be questioned in court, according to the Portuguese news outlet, Sol. I will note that European and Latin American media outlets are reporting that the men were Venezuelan, but the official statement from the PJ doesn't specify that, and I'm having trouble finding the press conference they were supposed to hold this morning. If true, they were likely Tren de Aragua and/or related to Nicolás Maduro's Cartel de los Soles.
Either way, it was all part of an operation called El Dorado, which "originated from information shared at the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N) and also involved the UK’s National Crime Agency, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Joint Interagency Task Force South, both from the USA," according to the statement issued by Portuguese Judicial Police.
There is a video going around on X, claiming to be of the mission, but after a good bit of research last night, I figured out it was from a previous operation. The official statement did include this photo, however.
Portugal: Police Judicial, with the support of the Portuguese Navy, UK, and US agencies, intercepted a narco-submarine in the Atlantic Ocean carrying 1.7 tons of cocaine destined for the Iberian Peninsula.
— Crime Intel (@WorldCrimeIntel) November 3, 2025
The operation, called "El Dorado", involved coordination with various… pic.twitter.com/m1X0IlN6XY
Authorities say that Portugal is playing a growing role in Atlantic drug trafficking from Latin America. The Times reports that "Smugglers increasingly rely on purpose-built, low-profile semi-submersibles designed to evade radar and aerial surveillance."
In March, authorities intercepted a semi-submersible that carried 6.5 metric tons of cocaine with Brazilian, Colombian, and Spanish men on board. And in August, they arrested two men who were carrying 1.5 metric tons of cocaine sealed in untanned animal skins.
Here's the video of the March incident (clips from this are what is going around X).
Meanwhile, I saw an article in the Panamanian press on Monday that authorities in Panama had seized a ton of cocaine and several narco-vessels over the last three days. Director General of the National Police, Jaime Fernández, confirmed that it came from various ports all over the country. He says that U.S. military action in the Caribbean is putting pressure on these drug trafficking organizations and forcing them to find other sea routes and areas of operation.
Recommended: Protests Erupt and Peru Cuts Ties, But Mexico's Sheinbaum Keeps Cozying Up to Cartels
Panamanian authorities say they've seized 80 tons of drugs in 2025 alone. The most recent vessels reportedly departed from Colombia with European destinations.
But they're all just fishermen, right?
Both stories amplify what Donald Trump and his administration say about the urgency of the need to address drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere. The story out of Portugal proves just how far-reaching these operations are, while the story out of Panama proves that traffickers are scrambling, feeling the pressure of our military action.
It's still early when I'm writing this, but I bet you won't see this in the MSM. Anything that proves Trump right is a taboo topic.
Help us continue to report the truth! Become a PJ Media VIP member. Right now, we're running a Schumer Shutdown Sale. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership. That's just $12.74 for the entire year. Click here to get started.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member