Narco submarine
Encyclopedia
A narco-submarine is a type of custom-made ocean-going self-propelled submersible vessel built by drug traffic
kers to smuggle drugs. 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
.
The first detected in 1993, were semi-submersible
s since they could not dive; most of the craft was submerged with little more than the cockpit and the exhaust gas
pipes above the water. The modern narco-submarines are fully submersible submarines. Narco-submarines are designed specifically to be difficult to detect visually or by radar
, sonar
and infrared
systems.
s became the drug-smuggling vessel of choice in many parts of the world. These boats can be detected by radar; as radar coverage improved, Colombia
n drug cartels started using less easily detected semi-submersibles from the 1990s.
The first time the U.S. Coast Guard found one, authorities dubbed it Bigfoot
because they had heard rumors that such things existed, but none had actually been seen. It was late 2006 when a Bigfoot was seized 145 kilometres (90.1 mi) southwest of Costa Rica
carrying several tons of cocaine
. 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.
After the November 5, 2010 arrest of Harold Mauricio Poveda, a key Mexican-Colombian link, it is suspected that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC) is behind the construction of narco-submarines and is collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel
and the Beltran Leyva Cartel to fund its armed activities.
's Pacific coastline, where muddy rivers loop into the ocean, has long been a smugglers' paradise. Behind the jagged cliffs that jut into the ocean is a vast jungle, laced with mangrove-fringed coves and virtually thousands of miles of waterways, apt for clandestine shipyards. A Colombian Navy Commander stated that it is most striking to notice the logistical capacity required of these criminals in order to take all the material into the heart of the jungle, including heavy equipment such as propulsion gear and generators. Sometimes they are put together in pieces and then reassembled in other locations under the jungle canopy, in camps outfitted with sleeping quarters for workers. The narco-submarines can cost about $2 million USD and take upward of a year to build. Despite the costs, some of the craft are intended for one-time use, being abandoned at sea after a successful delivery. After all, their cargoes carry a street value of up to $400 million. On other seized craft however, officials found zinc
bars used as sacrificial anodes
, lessening corrosion on metal parts exposed to seawater. 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. A 60 feet (18.3 m) long narco-submarine can reach speeds of 11 mi/h and carry up to 10 tons of cocaine
. They are typically made of fiberglass
, powered by a 300/350 hp 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 2000 miles (3,218.7 km), 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 above 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 to cool it before venting it, making the boat even less susceptible to infrared detection
. They are most easily spotted visually from the air, though even that is difficult as they are camouflage
d with blue paint and produce almost no wake
. They have ballast tank
s to alter the vessel's buoyancy
so that they ride low in the water.
. The double-hulled steel vessel could have traveled 2000 nautical miles (3,704 km), dived 330 feet (100.6 m) and carried 150-200 tons of cocaine.
On 3 July 2010, it was reported that the Ecuadorian authorities seized a fully functional, completely submersible submarine in the jungles bordering Ecuador
and Colombia
. This diesel electric submarine had a cylindrical fiberglass
and Kevlar
hull of 31 metres (101.7 ft) long, a 3 meter conning tower with periscope and air conditioning. The vessel had the capacity for about 10 metric tons of cargo, a crew of five or six people, the ability to fully submerge down to 65 feet (19.8 m), and capable of long-range underwater operation. Ecuadorean authorities seized the vessel before its maiden voyage.
On 14 February 2011, another submarine was seized by the Colombian navy. The 31m-long (100ft) fibreglass and Kevlar vessel was found hidden in a jungle area in Timbiqui, in south-western Colombia. It was capable of travelling 9m (30ft) below water and it could carry four people and up to eight tons of cargo.
(submersion control) to keep it at about 30 m (98 ft) under water while being towed by a regular fishing boat. If a patrol ship is spotted, the "torpedo" cargo container is released. While still submerged, it automatically releases one buoy
concealed as a wooden log and equipped with a location transmitter system for a second support fishing vessel to retrieve it and continue the cocaine delivery. None of these boats do anything suspicious that could reveal their drug smuggling activity.
The buoy contains a mechanism to temporarily raise and then lower its antenna and transmit its coordinates in encrypted form a few times per day. This system was adapted from existing buoys used on tuna
fishing net
s. One of its designers claims a 90% shipment delivery success rate, and stated that the "torpedo" development was heading towards a remote control feature using encrypted signals transmitted via satellite.
Experts estimated that 25 to 40 cocaine semi-subs departed from South America in 2007, and expected that figure to double in 2008.
The western Colombian shore topography is near ideal for transporting the cocaine produced in clandestine laboratories in nearby Nariño department
. About a third of the 600 tons of cocaine coming out of Colombia each year leaves via the Pacific coast and a significant amount is being carried in semi-submersibles. The U.S. Homeland Security estimates that drug submarines now account for 32 percent of all maritime cocaine flow between Latin America and the United States.
While the subs are most frequently used from the Pacific coast of Colombia, they are showing up elsewhere as well. The Coast Guard says drug runners have devised a complete logistics system, with fishing boats stationed along the way to warn the crews against patrols and provide them with food and water and resorting to putting refueling vessels far offshore so drug-carrying boats can avoid coastal areas. For traffickers, reaching Mexico is well worth the trouble, as a 10-ton load can fetch nearly US$200 million wholesale. Fishermen hired specifically for the task are often at the controls, and those who complete the trip successfully are paid about US$3,000.
Smugglers normally unload their cargo onto fast power boats for the final leg to shore and the semi-submersible is scuttled
. None have been sighted unloading at North American ports or beaches. In 2006, a 10 meter long sub was found abandoned on the northern coast of Spain
, where the authorities suspect the crew had unloaded a cargo of cocaine before fleeing. In March 2006, the Calabria
n mafia
('Ndrangheta) ordered a shipment of 10 tons of cocaine to be transported by a narco-submarine from Colombia to Italy
, but the vessel was discovered by the Colombian police while it was still under construction.
During 2007 thirteen of the vessels were seized on Colombian dry land or stopped at sea by Colombian or U.S. patrol boats, more than in the previous 14 years combined, but arrests are rare. When clandestine shipyards were discovered, workmen escaped into the jungle. In some instances semi-subs are towed behind other vessels and are scuttled if detected. Authorities are investigating reports that some semi-submersibles are unmanned and are operated remotely.
In the first six months of 2008 the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy detected 42 drug subs heading north towards the United States and off the coast of Central America, but they are rarely seized. The service estimated that 85 individual events would bring in about 340 tons of cocaine by the end of 2008. the U.S. Coast Guard was adjusting its underwater acoustic
sensors to listen to a narco-submarine's engine over long distances.
On July 16, 2008 the Mexican Navy
intercepted a 10 metres (32.8 ft) long narco-submarine travelling about 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) off the southwest of Oaxaca
, Mexico; Mexican Navy Special Forces
rappelled from a helicopter on to its deck and arrested four smugglers before they could scuttle
their vessel. The vessel was found to be loaded with 5.8 tons of cocaine and was towed to Huatulco
, Oaxaca by a Mexican Navy patrol boat.
On September 12, 2008 the U.S. Coast Guard captured a semi-submersible about 563 kilometres (349.8 mi) west of Guatemala
; it was carrying seven tons of cocaine. The 18 metres (59.1 ft) long steel and fiberglass craft was detected by a U.S. Navy aircraft as part of Operation Panama Express
and was intercepted by Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 402
which was deployed aboard USS McInerney
. Five days later, a 60 feet (18.3 m) semi-submersible was seized by the Coast Guard cutter Midgett
about 322 kilometres (200.1 mi) south of Guatemala
.
In late January 2009 a Sri Lanka
n Army task force found three semi-subs being built by the LTTE
Tamil
rebels in the jungles of Mullaitivu, making them the first non-governmental organization to develop underwater weapons.
On June 1 and 2, 2009 the Colombian authorities seized three narco-submarines on the shores of the Pacific coast, one of them loaded with 1.5 tons of cocaine. The Colombian navy had intercepted or discovered 33 narco-submarines by 2009.
them, sending boat and cocaine to the bottom in a minute or so and leaving no evidence of trafficking. Until 2008, in accordance with maritime law, the crew was rescued and, if there was no physical evidence of wrongdoing, released without criminal charges
. To address this legal loophole
, the US Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act
was enacted in September 2008, making it a "felony for those who knowingly or intentionally operate or embark in a self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) that is without nationality and that is or has navigated in international waters, with the intent to evade detection." The penalty is a prison
term of up to 20 years in the U.S.
The bill does not apply to flagged vessels
(i.e., that have been registered
with some nation). The bill grants extraterritorial jurisdiction
over international waters
, and also makes it illegal to lack relevant documents. Instead of an anti-narcotics operation turning into a rescue mission when the submarines are scuttled and sink, the crew can be arrested and charged.
Some alleged narco-submarine smugglers are now facing criminal charges in USA for operating an unflagged semi-submersible.
Colombia's congress passed a law in June 2009 punishing the building of semi-submersible vessels with up to 12 years in prison, and transporting drugs in them with up to 14 years.
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Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
kers to smuggle drugs. They are especially known to be used by Colombian drug cartel
Drug cartel
Drug cartels are criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the largest trafficking...
members to export cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, which is often then transported overland to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The first detected in 1993, were semi-submersible
Semi-submersible
A semi-submersible is a specialised marine vessel with good stability and seakeeping characteristics. The semi-submersible vessel design is commonly used in a number of specific offshore roles such as for offshore drilling rigs, safety vessels, oil production platforms and heavy lift cranes.The...
s since they could not dive; most of the craft was submerged with little more than the cockpit and the exhaust gas
Exhaust gas
Exhaust gas or flue gas is emitted as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline/petrol, diesel fuel, fuel oil or coal. According to the type of engine, it is discharged into the atmosphere through an exhaust pipe, flue gas stack or propelling nozzle.It often disperses...
pipes above the water. The modern narco-submarines are fully submersible submarines. Narco-submarines are designed specifically to be difficult to detect visually or by radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
and infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
systems.
Cocaine-smuggling sea vessels
During the 1980s go-fast boatGo-fast boat
A go-fast boat, or cigarette boat, is a small, fast boat designed with a long narrow platform and a planing hull to enable it to reach high speeds....
s became the drug-smuggling vessel of choice in many parts of the world. These boats can be detected by radar; as radar coverage improved, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n drug cartels started using less easily detected semi-submersibles from the 1990s.
The first time the U.S. Coast Guard found one, authorities dubbed it Bigfoot
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
because they had heard rumors that such things existed, but none had actually been seen. It was late 2006 when a Bigfoot was seized 145 kilometres (90.1 mi) southwest of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
carrying several tons of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. 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
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
them upon interception and they sink within a minute or so.
After the November 5, 2010 arrest of Harold Mauricio Poveda, a key Mexican-Colombian link, it is suspected that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
(FARC) is behind the construction of narco-submarines and is collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel
Sinaloa Cartel
The Sinaloa Cartel is the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the United States Intelligence Community as "the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world." The Sinaloa Cartel is based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, but also operates in the Mexican states of Baja...
and the Beltran Leyva Cartel to fund its armed activities.
Construction
ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
's Pacific coastline, where muddy rivers loop into the ocean, has long been a smugglers' paradise. Behind the jagged cliffs that jut into the ocean is a vast jungle, laced with mangrove-fringed coves and virtually thousands of miles of waterways, apt for clandestine shipyards. A Colombian Navy Commander stated that it is most striking to notice the logistical capacity required of these criminals in order to take all the material into the heart of the jungle, including heavy equipment such as propulsion gear and generators. Sometimes they are put together in pieces and then reassembled in other locations under the jungle canopy, in camps outfitted with sleeping quarters for workers. The narco-submarines can cost about $2 million USD and take upward of a year to build. Despite the costs, some of the craft are intended for one-time use, being abandoned at sea after a successful delivery. After all, their cargoes carry a street value of up to $400 million. On other seized craft however, officials found zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
bars used as sacrificial anodes
Galvanic anode
A galvanic anode is the main component of a galvanic cathodic protection system used to protect buried or submerged metal structures from corrosion....
, lessening corrosion on metal parts exposed to seawater. 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. A 60 feet (18.3 m) long narco-submarine can reach speeds of 11 mi/h and carry up to 10 tons of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. They are typically made of fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, powered by a 300/350 hp diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
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 2000 miles (3,218.7 km), and are equipped with satellite navigation systems. There is no head
Head (watercraft)
The head is a ship's toilet. The name derives from sailing ships in which the toilet area for the regular sailors was placed at the head or bow of the ship.-Design:In sailing ships the toilet was placed in the bow for two reasons...
(toilet), and accommodation is cramped.
Because much of its structure is fiberglass and it travels barely above the surface, the vessel is nearly impossible to detect via sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
or radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, and very difficult to spot visually. The newer models pipe their exhaust along the bottom to cool it before venting it, making the boat even less susceptible to infrared detection
Thermographic camera
A thermographic camera or infrared camera is a device that forms an image using infrared radiation, similar to a common camera that forms an image using visible light...
. They are most easily spotted visually from the air, though even that is difficult as they are camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
d with blue paint and produce almost no wake
Wake
A wake is the region of recirculating flow immediately behind a moving or stationary solid body, caused by the flow of surrounding fluid around the body.-Fluid dynamics:...
. They have ballast tank
Ballast tank
A ballast tank is a compartment within a boat, ship or other floating structure that holds water.-History:The basic concept behind the ballast tank can be seen in many forms of aquatic life, such as the blowfish or argonaut octopus, and the concept has been invented and reinvented many times by...
s to alter the vessel's buoyancy
Buoyancy
In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...
so that they ride low in the water.
Typical characteristics
These are the typical characteristics as stated by the U.S. Joint Interagency Task Force South:- Hull material: wood, fiberglass, or steel
- Length 12 to 25 m (39.4 to 82 ft)
- Freeboard 46 centimetres (18.1 in)
- Engines: single or twin diesel
- Fuel capacity 5700 l (1,505.8 US gal; 1,253.8 imp gal)
- Range 3200 kilometres (1,988.4 mi)
- Speed 11 kilometres per hour (5.6 kn) or more
- Crew: 3
- Capacity 4–12 t (8,818.5–26,455.5 lb) cocaine
- Control: human or remote
True submarines
Narco-submarines were considered by officials to be an oddity until 2000, when Colombian police discovered a true steel 30 metres (98.4 ft) submarine, half-built with the help of North American and Russian engineers, in a warehouse outside BogotaBogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
. The double-hulled steel vessel could have traveled 2000 nautical miles (3,704 km), dived 330 feet (100.6 m) and carried 150-200 tons of cocaine.
On 3 July 2010, it was reported that the Ecuadorian authorities seized a fully functional, completely submersible submarine in the jungles bordering Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. This diesel electric submarine had a cylindrical fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
and Kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
hull of 31 metres (101.7 ft) long, a 3 meter conning tower with periscope and air conditioning. The vessel had the capacity for about 10 metric tons of cargo, a crew of five or six people, the ability to fully submerge down to 65 feet (19.8 m), and capable of long-range underwater operation. Ecuadorean authorities seized the vessel before its maiden voyage.
On 14 February 2011, another submarine was seized by the Colombian navy. The 31m-long (100ft) fibreglass and Kevlar vessel was found hidden in a jungle area in Timbiqui, in south-western Colombia. It was capable of travelling 9m (30ft) below water and it could carry four people and up to eight tons of cargo.
Narco torpedo
Semi-submersibles are hard to spot from patrol ships, but are easy to detect from the air. To address this problem, a new concept was adopted by smugglers. Instead of a full-featured self-propelled ship, a "torpedo"-style cargo container is used with a ballast tankBallast tank
A ballast tank is a compartment within a boat, ship or other floating structure that holds water.-History:The basic concept behind the ballast tank can be seen in many forms of aquatic life, such as the blowfish or argonaut octopus, and the concept has been invented and reinvented many times by...
(submersion control) to keep it at about 30 m (98 ft) under water while being towed by a regular fishing boat. If a patrol ship is spotted, the "torpedo" cargo container is released. While still submerged, it automatically releases one buoy
Buoy
A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...
concealed as a wooden log and equipped with a location transmitter system for a second support fishing vessel to retrieve it and continue the cocaine delivery. None of these boats do anything suspicious that could reveal their drug smuggling activity.
The buoy contains a mechanism to temporarily raise and then lower its antenna and transmit its coordinates in encrypted form a few times per day. This system was adapted from existing buoys used on tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
fishing net
Fishing net
A fishing net or fishnet is a net that is used for fishing. Fishing nets are meshes usually formed by knotting a relatively thin thread. Modern nets are usually made of artificial polyamides like nylon, although nets of organic polyamides such as wool or silk thread were common until recently and...
s. One of its designers claims a 90% shipment delivery success rate, and stated that the "torpedo" development was heading towards a remote control feature using encrypted signals transmitted via satellite.
Routes and seizures
The western Colombian shore topography is near ideal for transporting the cocaine produced in clandestine laboratories in nearby Nariño department
Nariño Department
Nariño is a department of Colombia named after Antonio Nariño. It is in the west of the country, bordering Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean.Its capital is Pasto, other important cities include Tumaco, Ipiales.-Municipalities:# Albán# Aldana# Ancuya...
. About a third of the 600 tons of cocaine coming out of Colombia each year leaves via the Pacific coast and a significant amount is being carried in semi-submersibles. The U.S. Homeland Security estimates that drug submarines now account for 32 percent of all maritime cocaine flow between Latin America and the United States.
While the subs are most frequently used from the Pacific coast of Colombia, they are showing up elsewhere as well. The Coast Guard says drug runners have devised a complete logistics system, with fishing boats stationed along the way to warn the crews against patrols and provide them with food and water and resorting to putting refueling vessels far offshore so drug-carrying boats can avoid coastal areas. For traffickers, reaching Mexico is well worth the trouble, as a 10-ton load can fetch nearly US$200 million wholesale. Fishermen hired specifically for the task are often at the controls, and those who complete the trip successfully are paid about US$3,000.
Smugglers normally unload their cargo onto fast power boats for the final leg to shore and the semi-submersible is scuttled
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
. None have been sighted unloading at North American ports or beaches. In 2006, a 10 meter long sub was found abandoned on the northern coast of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where the authorities suspect the crew had unloaded a cargo of cocaine before fleeing. In March 2006, the Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
n mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
('Ndrangheta) ordered a shipment of 10 tons of cocaine to be transported by a narco-submarine from Colombia to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, but the vessel was discovered by the Colombian police while it was still under construction.
During 2007 thirteen of the vessels were seized on Colombian dry land or stopped at sea by Colombian or U.S. patrol boats, more than in the previous 14 years combined, but arrests are rare. When clandestine shipyards were discovered, workmen escaped into the jungle. In some instances semi-subs are towed behind other vessels and are scuttled if detected. Authorities are investigating reports that some semi-submersibles are unmanned and are operated remotely.
In the first six months of 2008 the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy detected 42 drug subs heading north towards the United States and off the coast of Central America, but they are rarely seized. The service estimated that 85 individual events would bring in about 340 tons of cocaine by the end of 2008. the U.S. Coast Guard was adjusting its underwater acoustic
Underwater acoustics
Underwater acoustics is the study of the propagation of sound in water and the interaction of the mechanical waves that constitute sound with the water and its boundaries. The water may be in the ocean, a lake or a tank. Typical frequencies associated with underwater acoustics are between 10 Hz and...
sensors to listen to a narco-submarine's engine over long distances.
On July 16, 2008 the Mexican Navy
Mexican Navy
The Mexican Navy is the naval branch of the Mexican military responsible for conducting naval operations. Its stated mission is "to use the naval force of the federation for the exterior defense, and to help with internal order". The Navy consists of about 56,000 men and women plus reserves, over...
intercepted a 10 metres (32.8 ft) long narco-submarine travelling about 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) off the southwest of Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, Mexico; Mexican Navy Special Forces
Fuerzas Especiales
The Fuerzas Especiales , also known as FES , is a special operations unit of the Mexican Navy officially established in late 2001...
rappelled from a helicopter on to its deck and arrested four smugglers before they could scuttle
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
their vessel. The vessel was found to be loaded with 5.8 tons of cocaine and was towed to Huatulco
Huatulco
Huatulco , centered on the town of La Crucecita, is a tourist development in Mexico. It is located on the Pacific coast in the state of Oaxaca. Huatulco's tourism industry is centered on its nine bays thus the name Bahias de Huatulco but has since been unofficially shortened to simply Huatulco...
, Oaxaca by a Mexican Navy patrol boat.
On September 12, 2008 the U.S. Coast Guard captured a semi-submersible about 563 kilometres (349.8 mi) west of Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
; it was carrying seven tons of cocaine. The 18 metres (59.1 ft) long steel and fiberglass craft was detected by a U.S. Navy aircraft as part of Operation Panama Express
Operation Panama Express
Operation Panama Express is a long-running Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force comprising participants from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement , the United States Coast Guard and the United States Attorney's Office...
and was intercepted by Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 402
Law Enforcement Detachments
Law Enforcement Detachments or LEDETs are specialized, deployable maritime law enforcement teams of the United States Coast Guard. First established in 1982, their primary mission is to deploy aboard U.S. and allied naval vessels to conduct and support law enforcement, interdiction, or security...
which was deployed aboard USS McInerney
USS McInerney (FFG-8)
USS McInerney , second ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, is the first United States Navy ship named for Vice Admiral Francis X. McInerney...
. Five days later, a 60 feet (18.3 m) semi-submersible was seized by the Coast Guard cutter Midgett
USCGC Midgett (WHEC-726)
USCGC Midgett is the twelfth and last of the United States Coast Guard's fleet of high endurance cutters. With her crew of twenty four officers and one hundred sixty enlisted men and women, she is homeported in Seattle, Washington under the operational and administrative control of Commander,...
about 322 kilometres (200.1 mi) south of Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
.
In late January 2009 a Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n Army task force found three semi-subs being built by the LTTE
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
rebels in the jungles of Mullaitivu, making them the first non-governmental organization to develop underwater weapons.
On June 1 and 2, 2009 the Colombian authorities seized three narco-submarines on the shores of the Pacific coast, one of them loaded with 1.5 tons of cocaine. The Colombian navy had intercepted or discovered 33 narco-submarines by 2009.
Legal situation
When semi-submersibles are stopped at sea their crews usually scuttleScuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
them, sending boat and cocaine to the bottom in a minute or so and leaving no evidence of trafficking. Until 2008, in accordance with maritime law, the crew was rescued and, if there was no physical evidence of wrongdoing, released without criminal charges
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
. To address this legal loophole
Loophole
A loophole is a weakness that allows a system to be circumvented.Loophole may also refer to:*Arrowslit, a slit in a castle wall*Loophole , a short science fiction story by Arthur C...
, the US Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act
Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act
The Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act of 2008, , was an act of the United States Congress outlawing operation of or travel in unregistered submersibles and semi-submersibles in international waters with the intent to evade detection....
was enacted in September 2008, making it a "felony for those who knowingly or intentionally operate or embark in a self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) that is without nationality and that is or has navigated in international waters, with the intent to evade detection." The penalty is a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
term of up to 20 years in the U.S.
The bill does not apply to flagged vessels
Maritime flag
A maritime flag is a flag designated for use on ships, boats, and other watercraft. Naval flags are considered important at sea and the rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced...
(i.e., that have been registered
Ship registration
Ship registration is the process by which a ship is documented and authorised by some country; it is usual to say that the ship sails under the flag of the country of registration . International law requires that every merchant ship be registered in a country, called its flag state...
with some nation). The bill grants extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.Any authority can, of course, claim ETJ over any external territory they wish...
over international waters
International waters
The terms international waters or trans-boundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater systems , and wetlands.Oceans,...
, and also makes it illegal to lack relevant documents. Instead of an anti-narcotics operation turning into a rescue mission when the submarines are scuttled and sink, the crew can be arrested and charged.
Some alleged narco-submarine smugglers are now facing criminal charges in USA for operating an unflagged semi-submersible.
Colombia's congress passed a law in June 2009 punishing the building of semi-submersible vessels with up to 12 years in prison, and transporting drugs in them with up to 14 years.
See also
- Anti-submarine warfareAnti-submarine warfareAnti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
- Illegal drug tradeIllegal drug tradeThe illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
- Mérida InitiativeMérida InitiativeThe Mérida Initiative is a security cooperation agreement between the United States and the government of Mexico and the countries of Central America, with the declared aim of combating the threats of drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and money laundering...
- Mexican Drug WarMexican Drug WarThe Mexican Drug War is an ongoing armed conflict taking place among rival drug cartels who fight each other for regional control, and Mexican government forces who seek to combat drug trafficking. However, the government's principal goal has been to put down the drug-related violence that was...
- Narcotrafficking in Colombia
- Plan ColombiaPlan ColombiaThe term Plan Colombia is most often used to refer to U.S. legislation aimed at curbing drug smuggling and combating a left-wing insurgency by supporting different activities in Colombia....
- Prohibition (drugs)Prohibition (drugs)The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent drug use. Prohibition of drugs has existed at various levels of government or other authority from the Middle Ages to the present....
Further reading
- "Ayer Médico, Hoy Narco - El Mexicano que Quizo ser Pablo Escobar" (In Spanish) Author: Miguel Angel Montoya. Publisher: Oveja Negra. ASIN: B003B0MFQS. ISBN 9789580610922. Biography, includes one chapter on the narco-submarine and narco torpedo development.
External links
- Drug Submarines' Culture
- Does ‘Smuggler’s Corridor’ Now Extend to South America?
- Authorities in Awe of Drug Runners' Jungle-Built, Kevlar-Coated Supersubs
- Anatomy of a narco-submarine, El Pais (In Spanish)
Videos:
- 27 min video documentary: Narco Submarine Technology 2009. (In Spanish with English subtitles).
- Hunting drug trafficking submarines
- Colombian traffickers moving drugs in submarines
- US Coast Guard intercepts drug running submarine
- Rep Poe Worried About Drug Running Submarines
Photo gallery: