Hi Sutton Pictures. Used with permission
Drug traffickers in Central and South America are continuing to build new specialized smuggling vessels to bring narcotics into the United States, as evidenced by a precision electric submersible seized earlier this month.
On November 5, the Colombian Navy, with the assistance of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement agencies, raided an artisan shipyard near the Kukurubi River in Choco District, Colombia. The Colombian Navy announced on Twitter that they had discovered a large-capacity drug submarine under a temporary roof.
According to officials, the construction cost of the submarine is estimated at 1.5 million U.S. dollars. According to the plan seized by the Colombian authorities, if it sets sail, it will ship about 6 metric tons of cocaine to the US market, worth about 120 million U.S. dollars.
In the long run, most drug submarines intercepted by the US Navy and Coast Guard carry approximately 1.6 metric tons of cocaine, valued at approximately US$300-35 million. The trend is that the payload of each voyage is smaller, but the discovery of new submarines points to a trend reversal.
En operción conjunta, coordinada e interinstitucion fueron capturados once presuntos integrantes de una Organización Narcotraficante. En la opación fue incautado un sumergible con capacidad para transportar hasta seis toneladas de alcaloides.
👉 https://t.co/4tllUvU37n pic.twitter.com/HBqV5gWXs5
— Colombian Armada (@ArmadaColombia), November 5, 2020
Compared with other drug submarines, another significant difference is that the seized ship can dive into the water, at least for a short period of time. Almost all anti-narcotics submarines intercepted at sea are more accurately referred to as low-profile ships (LPV). Also known as semi-submersible, these processes are designed to run very low in the water to avoid detection. But they cannot be completely submerged. The submarine’s cylindrical hull, sealed roof hatch and seaplane all point to some degree of underwater operation.
Under water, it uses batteries to power two electric motors. The 10 ton battery makes it an estimated battery life of 12 hours. If the underwater speed is about 3 knots, it is equivalent to about 32 nautical miles. Obviously, no matter how fast the cruising speed is, an electric submersible like this cannot be unassisted all the way. The tow ring on the nose pointed to the answer: the ship was designed to be towed by a larger vessel until it was close to the destination. Then it will complete the last stop by itself. Once unloaded, it will be scuttled and joined hundreds of abandoned drug submarines scattered on the seabed.
The design is reminiscent of another rare electric anti-narcotics submarine discovered in the same area in July 2017. It also has dual electric drives, four large seaplanes and a towing ring. This shows that the same shipbuilder is behind, or at least some common connections.
Although the design of this ship seems to have been in use for at least three years, none of it has been intercepted at sea. This latest discovery by the Colombian Navy reminds people that these complex drug delivery vehicles are still under construction, and it is inferred that the cost of more than $1 million is worthwhile for drug dealers. The engineer behind this newest ship was arrested in the raid, but it is not clear whether his design will continue to exist after a new engineer takes over his position.
HI Sutton is a writer, illustrator, and analyst who specializes in submarine and underwater systems. His work can be found on his website, Covert Shores. Follow @CovertShores