Speedboat stranded on Faro Island was empty aside from 64 fuel containers
A speedboat, suspected of being used for drug smuggling, was found abandoned on the beach of Faro Island on Monday (January 20).
The vessel was found shortly after midday by a beachgoer who alerted authorities. However, by the time officers from Faro’s Maritime Police Command and the Portuguese Navy arrived, the boat’s crew and any potentially illicit cargo were nowhere to be found. The only discovery officers made was a stash of 64 fuel containers.
At the time of writing on Tuesday, the boat was still stranded on the beach. With rough weather conditions complicating the task, authorities scheduled its removal for Thursday, January 23.
2025 is off to a particularly busy start for maritime authorities along the Algarve coast. In the first 10 days of the year, authorities seized nearly one tonne of hashish found on beaches or floating out at sea in several areas throughout the region.
Nearly 94 kilos of hashish washed up at several beaches in the western Algarve between January 6 and 7, namely at Rebolos/Burgau (Vila do Bispo) and Mareta in Vila do Bispo and Vale da Lapa in Lagoa.
An additional 21,400 doses of hashish were seized on January 8 at Quinta do Lago beach in Loulé, followed by another major haul reported on Friday, January 10 in Portimão, where maritime police seized another 360 kilograms of hashish.
On the same day, another significant seizure was made – nearly 500 kilograms of hashish found drifting in the sea between Faro and Armação de Pêra, bringing the total amount of hashish seized in just 10 days to almost one tonne.
Maritime police in Lagos also detected another suspicious high-speed boat earlier this month, in this case adrift approximately 10 kilometres southwest of Ponta da Piedade on January 9. The operation was initiated following a tip-off from a local fisherman. Although no crew or drugs were found aboard, the vessel was towed ashore for further investigation.
