The armed forces of Colombia and Ecuador have announced the seizure of two semi-submersibles in each other's territorial waters, both carrying nearly four tons of cocaine, according to local media reports.
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The first seizure occurred on Saturday, when Ecuadorian authorities intercepted a 15 meter long submarine located about 60 km from the coast of the province of Esmeraldas (north). On board the submarine were found 161 large packages wrapped in jute bags containing 3,2 tons of cocaine, whose value is estimated to be around 50 million dollars.
Yesterday, the Colombian Navy announced the seizure of the “first semi-submersible of the year” in the country. This too was a 15-meter-long submarine, intercepted in the waters of thePacific Ocean, close to port of Buenaventura, with a cargo of on board 795 kilos of cocaine. The three members of the crew were arrested. These episodes highlight the scope and modus operandi that drug traffickers use to transport drugs to the United States andEurope.
In recent weeks, in the investigation that led to the imprisonment of 29 drug traffickers from two drug trafficking groups linked to the biggest traffickers in Italian criminal history, namely Raffaele Imperiale and Bruno Carbone. And from reading the over 360 pages of the precautionary order of the “Champions League” operation signed by investigating judge Maria Laura Ciollaro It emerged that the clans had been aware for some years of the use of submarines to transport drugs from Panama by sea.
In an interception captured in Bari: A Albanian IIn his relations with Neapolitans he discusses with a fellow countryman the methods of transporting drugs and the risks to which they are exposed: they maintain that containers offer greater safety but only “under water (safety) is 100%”, though “it's only from Panama”, they say. For the investigators it is a confirmation that the submarine is now joining the traditional means.
And now the seizure of two submarines is just further confirmation of how drug traffickers use submarines.
The drug was destined for the European and US markets.
A Colombian navy spokesman said the South American country had intercepted its first narco submarine of the year, as drug traffickers in the country produced record quantities of cocaine destined for Europe and the United States.
The submarine was intercepted Saturday morning off the Pacific coast of Colombia, the Captain Wilmer RoaThe 15-foot-long homemade vessel was carrying nearly 800 pounds of cocaine in small, brick-sized packages printed with scorpions or Mexican flags.
“It was actually a small kidnapping”, said Roa. “We have captured submarines with almost 3.500 kilos” of drugs. Roa said the Colombian navy captured 10 narcotics submarines last year.
Last year, the Colombian navy seized 10 submarines carrying narcotics
The Colombian government has struggled to curb cocaine production in recent years, as rebel groups and drug trafficking gangs seize control of territory that was abandoned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrillas following the group's 2016 peace deal with the government.
According to the office of United Nations for drugs and crime, the area cultivated with coca bushes in Colombia has reached an all-time high of 230.000 hectares in 2022, with potential cocaine production also increasing at 1.700 tons, with an increase of 24% over the previous year.
But as cocaine production increases in Colombia, Ecuador is becoming a popular route for drug smuggling. On Saturday, Ecuadorian authorities announced they had also seized a submarine carrying 3,2 tons of cocaine.
The submarine was captured thanks to information provided by the Colombian navy. Roa explained that drug traffickers use the hulls of speedboats to build submarines and adapt them so that they can travel slightly below the surface of the sea. “Some people die inside these machines, because they suffer mechanical failure or have very small ducts to let fresh air in,” he said.
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Article published on 24 January 2024 - 21:45
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