SEMAR Busts Narco-Sub w 4 Colombians on Board

Yaqui for Borderland Beat

The Navy seized a narco-submarine in Oaxaca with 106 packages of cocaine and four Colombians on board.

Some cartels subcontract specialized networks in the construction of semi-submersibles, as if they were taxi companies to transport narcotics from Colombia.

From a King Air type aircraft , the Mexican Navy detected a semi-submersible off the coast of Huatulco , Oaxaca; After conducting an inspection, they found that it was a narco-submarine that was transporting 106 packages of cocaine , with four men of Colombian nationality on board.

“A suspicious semi-submersible type vessel with four outboard motors was sighted , so with the support of two surface units of this Institution, an inspection of said vessel was carried out, achieving the arrest of four alleged offenders of the law, of Colombian nationality ”, reported the Naval Sector of Huatulco.

According to the Navy, these actions were during the day of recent January 6, when the Coast Guard was carrying out patrol work . The seizure was carried out by personnel assigned to the Eighth Naval Region, Acapulco, Guerrero, in coordination with the Twelfth Naval Zone located in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca.

The four Colombians were placed at the ministerial disposal in Oaxaca (Photo: Twitter @ moss_rub)

“The detained persons, to whom the Human Rights Card was read, as well as the boat and alleged drug confiscated, will be made available to the Attorney General of the state of Oaxaca and the competent authorities, to determine the ministerial process and carry out the pertinent tests, as well as integrating the corresponding investigation folder ”, detailed the agency headed by Admiral Rafael Ojeda Durán .

It should be noted that last November, the Navy also seized a narco-submarine, precisely, in Huatulco, Oaxaca. On that occasion, no arrests were reported, as the boat was already on the coast and was recovered after an anonymous complaint.

An anonymous tip led navy personnel to an abandoned makeshift submarine on the Oaxaca coast that is believed to have belonged to drug traffickers operating between South America and Mexico.

It is not known which criminal organization it belonged to and neither people nor drugs were found on the vessel, which had appeared near the town of Barra de la Cruz, located about 30 kilometers east of Huatulco.

Drug traffickers frequently use various marine routes to transport a myriad of drugs from Central and South America to destinations all over Mexico within five to 15 days. Authorities believe that in this case, traffickers were intending to transport cocaine or amphetamines on the submersible vessel.

It first became evident that cartels were building DIY submarines to transport drugs by sea in 2005. Authorities believe the submarines are built in Columbia, Ecuador or Guyana.

To move cocaine and other narcotics from Colombia to Mexico, the Mexican cartels spare no expense and occupy air vehicles, sea and land, however, the semi – submersible craft have become the preferred transportation .

Mexican and Colombian authorities have detected at least seven routes for drug trafficking between Colombia, Central America, Mexico and the United States (Photo: Twitter @ moss_rub)

According to an analysis by InSight Crime , some cartels outsource specialized networks in the construction of semi-submersibles . The chain of production and distribution of narcotics is no longer monopolized, but there are other links to facilitate operations; a strategy similar to ordering a taxi, since the transport network is disconnected from the transnational company.

“This subcontracting supposes the reduction of costs for drug traffickers, who do not have to concentrate all the logistics for the shipment of cocaine, but only coordinate with smaller links ,” said the international organization.

One factor that makes these vehicles effective is their low probability of being detected. The lead shielding on the upper part of the ship, as well as the pipes that cool the exhaust gases generated by the engines, allow to evade the infrared sensors . This reduces the risk of losing cargo.

Last November, the Navy also seized a narco-submarine in Oaxaca (Photo: Twitter @ Bravosabre)

Submarines emerged as the most convenient way to transport cocaine after the 1980s. In the most complex era of Colombian drug trafficking, criminals preferred speedboats and even small aircraft to move their merchandise.

After maritime and air patrols were intensified by the use of radars, drug traffickers opted for underwater assemblies.

At the end of October 2020, the Colombian authorities intercepted a semi-submersible in the Pacific Sea near Nariño , which was loaded with more than two tons of cocaine hydrochloride. The drug was destined for Mexican coasts and its value was estimated at 67 million dollars.

According to the Colombian Navy, there were three detainees: a Colombian, an Ecuadorian and a Mexican . The semi-submersible, with the characteristics of an artisanal submarine, was traveling 35 nautical miles per hour, near the sector known as the Bocana Amarales.

The Colombian Ombudsman has reported that at least three Mexican factions are waging the war in the country of Colombia. They are the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel and Los Zetas . These groups would have the objective of negotiating the cocaine and guaranteeing its purity.

Mexican and Colombian authorities have detected at least seven routes for drug trafficking between Colombia, Central America, Mexico and the United States. Tumaco, the area where the semi-submersible was intercepted in October, is located on the coasts of Salvador and Guatemala .

Sources: Infobae / archyde / MND