Colombian Narco Submarine With 3 Tons of Coccaine Was Caught

A submarine is a new method of drugs traffickers to transport narcotics to its final destination. Last Friday, the Colombian and Ecuadorian authorities stopped the shipment of coccaine to U.S. in the Pacific Ocean.

Deutsche Welle reported that the semi-submersible drug boat was captured after the vessel encountered mechanical problems at around 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the Galapagos Islands. All three crew members were arrested.

Colombian Navy said that its boats had been pursuing the submarine through the Pacific Ocean for four days with the help of US government surveillance aircraft. Submarine is a method of transportation developed by drug cartel to bring coccaine from Colombia to Mexico, before the drugs was sent to United States as their destination. The drug traffickers used the submarines because authorities had found the way to neutralize their ordinary delivery method.

Previously, drugs trafficker used a go-fast-boat to deliver coccaine to United States as their target market. Later on U.S. law enforcement, consist of United States Coast Guard and DEA have been able to stop the drugs smugglers' go-fast-boat with anti-materiel riffle that disable the boat engine. Therefore, the drug cartel had tried to find a new way of transportation, and they found semi-submersible boat as new method.

The submarine captured was one of the drug cartel's makeshift boat and according to Global News Canada was hauling 3 metric tons of cocaine. Since 1993, authorities have neutralized almost 100 semi-submersibles that drug traffickers use to move cocaine. This capture was a joint-operation between United States, Colombia and Ecuador.

Before this capture, in November, U.S. have busted 25 tons of coccaine in a three month operation at the Central and South American coast. Recently the drug traffickers have been using an alternative route through Carribean to Miami more often, rather than transporting the drugs via Mexico.

According to Vice, Colombian drug cartel have preferred to use the Carribean route in the last three years to avoid complexity when traveling through Mexico. The 2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Report issued by DEA said that "By moving cocaine through the Caribbean, Colombian avoid inter-cartel violence in Mexico, increased law enforcement presence in Mexico and at the Southwest Border, and rising pressure against the Mexican drug cartels."

As the delivery method of drugs cartel become more advanced, authorities must be able to encounter every move and anticipate it. Especially, with an indication that the drugs cartel is now developing a new submarine which is able to fully submerge and capable to avoid radar and sonar. That will pose a new challenge for law enforcement agency in combating drugs trafficking.