The National Republican Guard (GNR) seized 1,500 kilos of hashish and a vessel in Ria Formosa, in the municipality of Olhão, Faro district, on Tuesday.

In a statement, the GNR said that the officers, as part of a coastal patrol and surveillance operation, detected suspicious movements south of Armona Island in the early hours of Tuesday.

Following the operation, the maritime team was dispatched, intercepting and seizing a vessel already inside the Ria Formosa, carrying 20 bales of burlap containing hashish and 20 jerry cans.

According to the GNR, the suspects on board fled upon noticing the presence of the guard's vessel.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Maritime Police divers removed 32 kilos of amphetamines from the sea, off Terra Estreita Beach in Santa Luzia, in the municipality of Tavira.

The drug was removed from a depth of approximately three metres, following an alert received by authorities reporting the possible presence of the drug near the bathing area of ​​the municipality of Tavira, which is located on one of the barrier islands of the Ria Formosa, a wetland in the district of Faro, classified as a Natural Park, the AMN reported in a statement.

Following the alert, officers from the Tavira Maritime Police Local Command were dispatched to the scene and seized 32.46 kilograms of amphetamines, divided into "30 volumes of the drug," in an area "approximately three meters deep."

"The Maritime Police, using freediving, seized the drug and later handed it over to the Judicial Police," which was in charge of the investigation, AMN revealed.

The Maritime Authority said that the Maritime Police's Forensic Diving and Underwater Police Operations Group (GMF-OPS) was also activated, using a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV).

With the help of this equipment, the forensic diving group will conduct further searches along the Algarve coast to determine whether there is more drug to recover in the area or whether evidence useful for the investigation is found.