Cocaine Submarine Force Reduction

Cross posted by Lubber's Line at "Hundreds of Fathoms"

The Columbian cocaine Navy is at it again, this time with a drug cargo UUV (Unmanned Underwater Vehicle). AP World News is reporting "Coast Guard Seizes Cocaine in Pacific" (Hat tip: thesubreport.com) excerpt:

BOGOTA, Colombia -- The U.S. Coast Guard, acting on Colombian intelligence, intercepted a ship towing an unmanned submarine-like vessel that held more than 2 tons of cocaine, Colombia's anti-narcotics police chief said Thursday.

The boat was raided Wednesday off the coast of the Ecuadorean-owned Galapagos Islands, Gen. Alberto Gomez told reporters. The underwater capsule, which was attached by a metal cable, was designed so smugglers could tow it below their boat and escape detection if drug agents searched the ship.

Of course this isn't the first attempt to construct and use a submarine type vessel to smuggle drugs. Just last March Colombia's secret police discovered a nearly complete fiberglass submarine (CBS news) designed to carry cocaine to speed boats offshore.

Then there was the September 2000 discovery of a half-built submarine in a warehouse in Bogota, Remember that one?

Cocaine Submarine Under Construction Sept 2000.

The BBC reported the submarine under construction back in 2000 as being sophisticated and based on a Russian design. It was speculated that the Russian mafia or Russian technicians were involved in its construction.

So here's the tally:
1) The Russian designed large Sub was found in 2000 half way through construction.
2) The fiberglass Sub found in March of this year was nearly complete.
3) And now the drug smugglers have had a nearly successful sea trail of a towed UUV variant.

What's next?

posted by Lubber's Line @ 10:02 PM