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Ecuadorian Smugglers Find New Use for Submarines: Drug Trafficking

by Matt Evans on July 6, 2010 at 12:45 PM

Drug Sub
Twelve tons of cocaine is not to be taken lightly (or at all, really). But put this plethora of drugs underwater, shipped out by way of a diesel-powered submarine, and you've got a genuine James Bond plot. Friday, when Ecuadorian Police found this 100-foot-long, 9-foot-high submarine in the jungle, they discovered that the vessel was, in fact, a narco-sub used to transport drugs outside of the country.

"This is the first seizure of a clandestinely constructed fully operational submarine built to facilitate trans-oceanic drug trafficking," said The Drug Enforcement Administration in a statement. While this is the first fully submersible sub of its kind, sub-based drug trafficking has been going on for a while now, as evidenced by busts involving cocaine-laden subs in 2008. The new submarine is fully functional, and is even outfitted with air conditioning, a periscope and enough cargo space to contain the payload required to get Keith Richards high.

Certainly the perpetuation of drug trafficking can't be a good thing, but it is interesting to see cartels using modern technology to evade governments and their tracking techniques. We suppose that, if this sub were to capsize and spill out its goods, at least the surrounding marine life would have an awesome time staring at shiny ocean rocks. [From: CNN and CNN, via: Boing Boing]

Tags: cocaine, DEA, Drugs, DrugTrafficking, ecuador, illegal, Submarine, top, Trafficking, transportation

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