Cocaine Smugglers Now Using Submarines
By Wyatt Earp | September 19, 2008
Will you look at that thing? It’s not exactly the USS Los Angeles.
WASHINGTON — The capture of two cocaine-laden semi-submarines in the past week has highlighted the increasing use of the vessels, which now transport one-third of illicit drugs in the eastern Pacific, a major route between Colombia and the United States, U.S. authorities said Friday.
The first seizure occurred September 12, when a Coast Guard team, under cover of darkness, boarded a 59-foot semi-submersible 370 nautical miles southwest of Guatemala.
Attention Coast Guard: You might want to see if the Home Depot carries depth charges.
The startled Colombian smugglers reversed the vessel in an effort to throw the boarding party overboard, but the Coast Guard was able to seize the craft, its four-person crew and its 237 bales of cocaine.
Hopefully, the Coast Guard also put the smack down on these dopes. Stick time for everyone!
Just five days later, on Wednesday morning, a 60-foot semi-submersible was seized about 200 nautical miles south of Guatemala. As the boarding team unloaded the last few bales, the Coast Guard said, the unstable vessel began to take on water through its exhaust vents and sank.
Each boat carried about 7 tons of cocaine worth $196 million. (H/T – CNN)
Seven tons?!! Well, if the smugglers ever decide to go straight, they could haul Ring Dings to Rosie O’Donnell’s beachfront property.
Topics: The Job | 5 Comments »
September 20th, 2008 at 1:53 am
They aren’t really submarines, but stealth fast boats, from the sky they are visible, but surface ships miss them a bit. Innovation is good, and the change must mean something is shutting all the other operations down or slowing the flow.
Funny, the Drug Lords make the same amount of money off of me as the NBA does, now that the Sonics aren’t supported by tax dollars….
September 20th, 2008 at 7:49 am
Target practice!
September 20th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
thank god they are being used for drugs and not something worse.
September 20th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Return of the Monitor.
September 21st, 2008 at 11:04 am
How long before these things go up for auction after being seized?
I vowed never again to own a boat but this seems like fun.
JS