Second ‘Drug Sub’ Caught In Caribbean
The U.S. Coast Guard says it believes “drug subs” are becoming more commonplace in the Caribbean Sea after it intercepted a second vessel in the area.
Officials interdicted a cocaine smuggling, self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) vessel, commonly referred to as a “drug sub”, in the western Caribbean Sea on September 17.
Used regularly to transport illegal narcotics in the Eastern Pacific, this interdiction is only the second Coast Guard interdiction of an SPSS in the Caribbean. The Coast Guard’s first interdiction of a “drug sub” in the Western Caribbean Sea happened July 13.
“It seems maybe the drug trafficking organizations are changing their tactics a little bit and trying to move massive amounts of narcotics not just through the eastern Pacific, but also through the Caribbean using these (self-propelled semi-submersibles),” said Coast Guard Cmdr. Mark J. Fedor.
The crew of a Coast Guard C-130 Hercules airplane spotted a suspicious vessel and notified the Mohawk crew of the location, and the helicopter crew and pursuit boatcrew interdicted the SPSS and detained its crew. The SPSS sank during the interdiction, but not before a quantity of cocaine was recovered.
Built in the jungles and remote areas of South America, the typical SPSS is less than 100 feet in length, with four to five crewmembers, and carries up to 10 metric tons of illicit cargo for distances up to 5,000 miles. Drug traffickers design SPSS vessels to be difficult to spot and to rapidly sink when they detect law enforcement thereby making contraband recovery difficult.
“The use of self propelled semi-submersibles is relatively new in the Caribbean so it’s a serious operational challenge for the cutter fleet,” said Cmdr. Mark Fedor, Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk’s commanding officer.
“They are a significant threat to our nation and our friends throughout Central and South America because they can smuggle massive amounts of narcotics as well as other illicit goods or people. I am proud of my crew for stepping up to this challenge. Through their professionalism and courage, we were able to stop millions of dollars of cocaine from reaching the streets of America. That’s why we’re out here.”
The case is under investigation. The contraband and suspects were turned over to other U.S. law enforcement agencies for disposition.
The sub that was intercepted in July also was scuttled by its crew, but FBI divers were able to access the cargo. About 15,000 pounds of cocaine [worth about $180 million] was recovered.
