By Craig Stevens
Illegal drugs and their transport are constantly evolving. Cocaine and weed shipments have been entering the United States from Central and South America via a range of methods, with seagoing craft being one of the most popular. First there were fishing boats, then “go-fasts” (speedboats mounted with multiple engines). Once these started succumbing to improved detection, drug cartels developed the semi-submersible “narco sub”—which is now making way for the full-scale submarine.
In 2010, authorities in Ecuador announced that they had seized an actual submarine designed for smuggling drugs. “It is the first fully functional, completely submersible submarine for transoceanic voyages that we have ever found,” said Jay Bergman, the Andean regional director for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, speaking to the Associated Press.
According to reports, the captured sub was 33 meters long, could accommodate a crew of five or six, and was equipped with twin-screw diesel-electric propulsion, periscopes and even air conditioning. The DEA said the vessel could have carried up to 10 tons of coke.
The sub was found at a secret “shipyard” facility on a jungle river in Ecuador not far from the Colombian border. The shipyard boasted accommodations for more than 50 people, yet only one person was arrested by Ecuadoran soldiers and police, who were acting on intelligence provided by the DEA.
These days, cartels and drug runners are reportedly shelling out millions of dollars to build these types of complex vessels, recruiting highly skilled engineers who are usually ex-military. Still, the hefty price tag and lengthy construction time remain a drawback—so while the relentless ingenuity and innovation of the drug cartels suggest that full-scale submarines are already in use (or will be soon), the good old semi-submersible still dominates the trade. Costing less than half the price of a real sub, these vessels …
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Author: High Times / High Times
