Current Events > narco-submarines

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A narco-submarine (also called drug sub and Bigfoot submarine) is a type of custom-made ocean-going self-propelled submersible vessel built by drug traffickers to smuggle drugs.[1]They are especially known to be used by Colombian drug cartel members to export cocaine from Colombia to Mexico, which is often then transported overland to the United States.[2][3]

Newer narco-submarines are nearly fully submersible, designed specifically to be difficult to detect visually or by radar, sonarand infrared systems.[2]
Cargoes carried are typically several tons of cocaine. For example, in 2015 a cargo of 7.7 tonnes (17,000 lb) was seized on a semi-submersible which had been tracked by aircraft, the largest ever recorded.

The first time the U.S. Coast Guard found one containing drugs, authorities dubbed it Bigfootbecause they had heard rumors that such things existed, but none had actually been seen.[2] In late 2006 a narco-submarine was seized 103 mi (166 km) southwest of Costa Rica carrying three tons of cocaine.[7] In 2006, US officials say they detected three; in 2008, they were spotting an average of ten per month, but only one out of ten was intercepted. Few were seized, as their crews scuttle them upon interception and they sink within a minute or so.[8][9] By 2009, the U.S.A. detected as many as 60 narco-submarine related events, and it was calculated that they were moving as much as 330 tonnes of cocaine per year.[10] Costing up to two million dollars each to construct, the submarines can move enough cocaine in a single trip to generate more than 100 million USD in illicit proceeds for the traffickers.[1][10]

After the November 5, 2010 arrest of Harold Mauricio Poveda,[11] a key MexicanColombian link, it is suspected that FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) is behind the construction of narco-submarines and is collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel to fund its armed activities.[12][13][14]

The narco-submarines can cost about $2 million USD and take upward of a year to build.[16] Despite the costs, some of the craft are intended for one-time use, being abandoned at sea after a successful delivery, given that their cargoes carry a street value of up to $400 million. On other seized craft however, officials found zinc bars used as sacrificial anodes, reducing corrosion on metal parts exposed to seawater.[17] As corrosion would not be a concern on a single trip but is a factor influencing long-term durability, this is a clear indication that multiple use was intended. This, in turn, opens up the question of any illicit return cargo, like weapons, that they might carry back to Colombia.

The design and manufacturing techniques employed in their construction have improved over time: the boats have become faster, more seaworthy, and of higher capacity than earlier models.[1] An 18 m (59 ft) long narco-submarine can reach speeds of 18 km/h (9.7 knots) and carry up to 10 tons of cocaine.[1]They are typically made of fiberglass, powered by a 225260 kW diesel engine and manned by a crew of four. They have enough cargo space to carry two to ten tons of cocaine, carry large fuel tanks which give them a range of 3,200 km (1,700 nautical miles),[1] and are equipped with satellite navigation systems. There is no head(toilet), and accommodation is cramped.

Because much of its structure is fiberglass and it travels barely under the surface, the vessel is nearly impossible to detect via sonar or radar, and very difficult to spot visually. The newer models pipe their exhaust along the bottom of the hull to cool it before venting it, making the boat even less susceptible to infrared detection.[2]

They are most easily spotted visually from the air, though even that is difficult as they are camouflaged with blue paint and produce almost no wake. They have ballast tanks to alter the vessel's buoyancy so that they ride low in the water.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narco-submarine

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