Combating narco-subs and trafficking
Authorities seized much than six tons of cocaine from a semi-submersible vas — a alleged "narco sub" — and from 2 underground hiding places discovered successful Colombia, the country's navy announced this week.
Officials released video of the narco sub being intercepted disconnected the country's Pacific coast, arsenic good arsenic video showing officers and a sniffer canine locating stashes of cocaine that were buried underground. The navy besides released an representation of much than 100 packages of the alleged narcotics laid retired connected the enactment adjacent to a subject boat.
Officials said the thoroughfare worth of the seized cocaine was estimated to beryllium astir $300 million.
En #Nariño, a bordo de un semisumergible y en dos caletas subterráneas, incautadas más de 6️⃣ toneladas de cocaína avaluadas en 3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ millones de dólares. pic.twitter.com/Mp7Tlhm8qf
— Fuerza Naval del Pacífico (@FNP_ArmadaCol) May 24, 2025The navy said the narcotics were intercepted successful Narino, a portion connected the Pacific seashore of Colombia bordering Ecuador. They did not accidental however galore radical were arrested oregon wherever they judge the haul of drugs connected the semi-submersible was headed.
A time earlier, Colombia's navy said forces had seized astir 3 tons of narcotics successful the Pacific Ocean that were headed to Central America. Some of the drugs were intercepted aft navy ships chased a "vessel moving suspiciously," authorities said, and 3 radical were arrested. The drugs were worthy an estimated $97 million.
Narco subs typically beryllium precise debased connected the ocean's aboveground but cannot spell afloat underwater. They are fashionable among planetary cause traffickers due to the fact that they tin often elude detection by authorities.
Though commonly caught disconnected the seashore of Colombia, which produces the bulk of cocaine recovered successful the world, narco subs person been spotted crossed the globe successful caller months.
In March, Portuguese constabulary said forces had confiscated astir 6.5 tons of cocaine from a semi-submersible vas disconnected the distant Azores archipelago that was bound for the Iberian peninsula. In January, a suspected narco sub broke successful 2 pieces arsenic a fishing vessel was towing it to a larboard successful northwest Spain.
In November 2024, the Mexican navy said it seized astir 8,000 pounds of cocaine aboard a semi-submersible astir 150 miles disconnected the edifice of Acapulco. Two months earlier that, the U.S. Coast Guard said it had offloaded much than $54 cardinal worthy of cocaine — including implicit 1,200 pounds of drugs that were seized from a narco sub.
Stephen Smith is simply a managing exertion for CBSNews.com based successful New York. A Washington, D.C. native, Steve was antecedently an editorial shaper for the Washington Post, and has besides worked successful Los Angeles, Boston and Tokyo.
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