Colombian Navy intercepts secret cocaine narco-submarine deployed by drug cartels

A small, 50 foot long, semi-submersible submarine carrying 1,752 pounds (795 kilograms) of cocaine was intercepted by the Colombian Navy on Sunday, according to media reports.

The submarine, which was transporting an estimated $27 million worth of cocaine hydrochloride, contained packages of the illegal narcotic drug that were stamped with symbols of a scorpion, or the words, “Carnal" and  “Winnie.”

The small vessel was intercepted in Colombian Pacific waters, but military officials believe the craft’s ultimate destination was “apparently bound for Central America,” the Colombian Navy said in a statement released to the public.

Colombian armed forces also took three people who were aboard the craft into custody. They were relocated to the Colombian port city of Buenaventura in Valle del Cauca, according to the navy.

“In the most important port in the Pacific, the artifact, the cache and the subjects were placed at the disposal of the competent authorities,” the statement explained.

“Once the different compartments were opened, several packages were extracted from which the staff of the Technical Investigation Corps - CTI of the Attorney General's Office, carried out the Homologated Preliminary Identification Test - PIPH, determining that they were 795 kilograms of hydrochloride. of cocaine.”

The submarine type – known commonly as a “narco-sub” are becoming an increasingly popular method of shipping illegal drugs so they can transport their product to its intended destination.

They are disposable, constructed with plywood and fiberglass and oftentimes sunk if necessary so police cannot find evidence of the shipment.

Last year, the Colombian Navy reportedly seized 30 tons of cocaine and five tons of marijuana from narco-subs.

According to CBS News, Colombia intercepted the world’s largest known narco-sub last year—100 feet long, 10 feet wide and carrying three tons of cocaine.

Colombia, known widely for its history of cocaine trafficking problems set a record in 2022 in cocaine production, a milestone achieved with the increased cultivation of coca leaf spreading over 888 square miles, according to the United Nations.

"With this seizure, the entry of nearly $27m to drug trafficking organizations was prevented, as a result of its sale in the international illegal market, as well as the distribution of approximately two million doses on the streets of the world," the Colombian military’s statement said.