The suspects, aged between 25 and 46, are suspected of being members of a smuggling network active on the American, African and European continents, the head of the Portuguese police’s drug-busting unit, Joaquim Pereira, told a press conference.

The boat, from Namibia, was intercepted by the Portuguese navy and air force some 22 miles off the European coast.

The drugs were “probably from Latin America and destined for Europe”, Pereira said.