- Colombian authorities discovered a new type of “narcosub” designed to use electric power.
- Narcosubs are low-profile vessels designed to cross oceans carrying large amounts of illegal drugs.
- This sub can submerge at least temporarily to hide from Coast Guard and other law enforcement.
The boat, according to U.S. Naval Institute News, features a fully enclosed, cylindrical hull, a hex-shaped viewing port with windows for navigating, and four dive planes designed to allow it to submerge underwater. The Colombian Navy posted a photos of the vessel to Twitter:
There was room in the boat for an estimated 10 tons of batteries, giving it enough power to remain submerged for up to 12 hours while running at three knots. Analyst H.I. Sutton believes the boat was designed to be towed by another boat. Once near its destination, the narcosub would be cut loose and proceed under its own power. After the $1.5 million boat unloaded the drugs, it would be scuttled.
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South American drug cartels invented narcosubs. The boats first appeared as an alternative to high-speed, drug-running boats, which were liable to be intercepted by authorities. Narcosubs are designed to infiltrate coastlines, not invade them, slowly making their way across the Eastern Pacific and Carribean from South America to Central America and even as far as Europe.
The development of narcosubs is similar to what was going on at the same time in the world of high-tech warfare, as drug smugglers turned from speed to stealth to deliver their cargoes.
Photo credit: LUIS ROBAYO - Getty Images
The term “narcosub” is mostly a misnomer, as few, if any, of the boats are designed to submerge underwater. Most are meant to simply ride low in the ocean, to the point where they're difficult for law enforcement to detect from another ship. Nevertheless, as time has gone on, narcosubs have grown increasingly sophisticated.
