Colombian narco-traffickers use underwater crafts to sink to new depths getting their products to market
Photographs by Luca Zanetti
This submarine constructed by narco-traffickers in the mangrove swamps of the Colombian Pacific coast was found by the Naval Infantry on February 12 near Timbuiqui. Made with three-centimeter-thick fiberglass, the submarine has a 346-horse power engine, space for a crew of four, a range of about 900 miles and the capacity to transport 8 tons of cocaine.
A Colombian soldier looks around the interior of the captured submarine. The homemade submarines represent "a quantum-leap in technology," says Jay Bergman, who heads the DEA's Andean division, about traffickers' advancement from semi-subs. "It's the difference between building a motor-scooter and building a car."
A basic steering wheel inside one of the semi-submersibles. Experts estimate that 70% of the cocaine leaving Colombia's Pacific coast in 2009 was packed aboard semi-subs.
The 70-footer captured in February is a fascinating hybrid of high and low technology. The boat was equipped with GPS, electronic charts and two types of radios
The sub's periscope utilizes two cameras, one for daylight and one for night vision to monitor the sea surface while submerged
Go Slow
Transporting cocaine from the Colombian jungle to drop-off points in Central America and Mexico takes about two weeks aboard the semi-subs
The semi-subs are also relatively cheap to build, like this one confiscated in a 2006 raid, and are often scuttled after drug deliveries.
The semi-subs are also relatively cheap to build, like this one confiscated in a 2006 raid, and are often scuttled after drug deliveries.
Semi-submergible vessels seized in raids are lined up at the Bahia Malaga Naval Base.
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