Tri-Service
Six Tons Of Cocaine Seized From Narco-Submarine
Footage has been released of more than 12,800lbs of cocaine being seized from a drug cartel's self-propelled semi-submersible.
Four suspected smugglers crewing the vessel were also apprehended about 300 miles southwest of Panama, by US coast guardsmen from the cutter USCGC Bertholf.
Captain Laura Collins, commanding officer of the Bertholf, said: "SPSS interdictions are inherently dangerous, yet we persevere to disrupt the funding sources of illicit organisations causing violence and instability in Central America."
The cocaine would have had a street value of around £140 million if it had been successfully landed.
South American cartels are increasingly using 'narco-subs', with just an exhaust and small conning tower visible above the surface.
Favoured by Colombians they're extremely difficult to detect, allowing the gangs to smuggle huge quantities of drugs across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.
It's thought however that fully submersible craft are now also being used. In 2010 Ecuadorian authorities discovered a 31m long submarine that would have been capable of carrying in excess of 10 tons of cargo.
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