The Gun Counter

Sailors, Coasties nab cocaine-stuffed sub

By Amy McCullough - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Sep 16, 2008 16:29:07 EDT

Sailors and Coast Guardsmen aboard the frigate McInerney on Saturday intercepted a small sub carrying 37 bales of cocaine with an estimated street value of $187 million dollars.

Four Colombian drug smugglers were captured aboard the self-propelled semi-submersible in a night time raid about 350 miles from the Pacific coast of Guatemala, according to the Navy.

The 59-foot vessel, which is capable of traveling from Ecuador to San Diego, was packed top to bottom with cocaine.

“An SPSS is capable of carrying 3 to 5 metric tons of cocaine and has no maritime use other than the covert transport of narcotics or other illegal goods,” according to the Navy. “An SPSS is between 25 and 65 feet long, travel at speeds up to 13 knots, carry 4 to 5 crew members, and can travel up to 2,500 nautical miles without refueling. An SPSS is dangerous to capture since it is designed with valves that smugglers can use to quickly flood and sink the vessel, posing a risk to boarding teams attempting to capture it.”

The number of drug sub encounters has skyrocketed over the last couple of years, pushing Congress to approve a bill in July that would make the semi-submersible vessels illegal. A similar version of the Drug Trafficking Interdiction Act of 2008 is waiting approval by the Senate.

There have been about 23 drug-smuggling sub encounters from fiscal 2001 through 2007, but those numbers jumped dramatically, to 27 encounters just from Oct. 1, 2007, to Feb. 1, 2008, resulting in the successful delivery of 111 tons of cocaine, according to the Coast Guard. The service estimates that 85 drug sub events will bring in about 340 tons of cocaine for the entire fiscal year.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., introduced the Senate version of the bill in July. If approved, the bill will make it a “felony for those who knowingly or intentionally operate or embark in a [self-propelled semi-submersible] that is without nationality and that is or has navigated in international waters, with the intent to evade detection.” The bill will not impact researchers, explorers or others “who may legitimately be operating an SPSS.”

The McInerney, based in Mayport., Fla., is conducting “counter illicit trafficking operations for Joint Interagency Task Force-South in the U.S. Southern Command area of focus,” according to the Navy. Members of Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 404 also are onboard.

“An SPSS is capable of carrying 3 to 5 metric tons of cocaine and has no maritime use other than the covert transport of narcotics or other illegal goods,”

according to the Navy. “An SPSS is between 25 and 65 feet long, travel at speeds up to 13 knots, carry 4 to 5 crew members, and can travel up to 2,500 nautical miles without refueling. An SPSS is dangerous to capture since it is designed with valves that smugglers can use to quickly flood and sink the vessel, posing a risk to boarding teams attempting to capture it.”

The number of drug sub encounters has skyrocketed over the last couple of years, pushing Congress to approve a bill in July that would make the semi-submersible vessels illegal. A similar version of the Drug Trafficking Interdiction Act of 2008 is waiting approval by the Senate.

There have been about 23 drug-smuggling sub encounters from fiscal 2001 through 2007, but those numbers jumped dramatically, to 27 encounters just from Oct. 1, 2007, to Feb. 1, 2008, resulting in the successful delivery of 111 tons of cocaine, according to the Coast Guard. The service estimates that 85 drug sub events will bring in about 340 tons of cocaine for the entire fiscal year.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., introduced the Senate version of the bill in July. If approved, the bill will make it a “felony for those who knowingly or intentionally operate or embark in a [self-propelled semi-submersible] that is without nationality and that is or has navigated in international waters, with the intent to evade detection.” The bill will not impact researchers, explorers or others “who may legitimately be operating an SPSS.”

The McInerney, based in Mayport., Fla., is conducting “counter illicit trafficking operations for Joint Interagency Task Force-South in the U.S. Southern Command area of focus,” according to the Navy. Members of Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 404 also are onboard.

mekender wrote:Again, stop treating it like a law enforcement problem and treat it like a military problem, sink the boats and the problem will stop.

the problem is, the politicians have to look like they are doing something... so they pass useless new laws that dont do anything. all the while, the original laws would have covered the situation just fine.

Now it seems the traffickers have perfected the design and manufacture of semi-submersible craft (although they look like submarines, they don't fully submerge). In 2006, American officials say they detected only three; now they are spotting an average of ten a month.

Of those, only one in ten is intercepted. Many sail up the Pacific coast, often far out to sea. With enough cargo space to carry two to five tonnes of cocaine, they also carry large fuel tanks, giving them a range of 2,000 miles (3,200km). They are typically made of fibreglass, powered by a 300/350hp diesel engine and manned by a crew of four. They normally unload their cargo onto fast power boats for the final leg to shore. None has been sighted unloading at ports or beaches.


Congress recently has begun to act to do something about this problem, as set out here:

Drug smugglers who ship tons of cocaine in on handmade subs are about to get the U.S. Coast Guard treatment. Because of a loophole in U.S. maritime law, the orange navy can't stop unflagged ships in international waters, meaning that these little subs and semisubmersibles can float legally right up to our waters. But new legislation OK'd this week in the House and set for consideration in the Senate will let federal authorities stop unflagged vessels in international waters. It's an antiterrorism and antidrug issue that came to Washington's attention when handmade drug subs loaded with 12 tons of coke started showing up. From 2001 to 2007, 23 incidents involving the vessels occurred. This year, there have been 29, and the Coast Guard speculates that the vessels are responsible for moving 32 percent of all cocaine between Colombia and the United States.

308Mike wrote:Linkarooni

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., introduced the Senate version of the bill in July. If approved, the bill will make it a “felony for those who knowingly or intentionally operate or embark in a [self-propelled semi-submersible] that is without nationality and that is or has navigated in international waters, with the intent to evade detection.” The bill will not impact researchers, explorers or others “who may legitimately be operating an SPSS.”

Wrenchbender1 wrote:I'm sure a few 5 inch holes would make it a full blown submersible.

MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Coast Guard says it intercepted a submarine-like vessel carrying 7 tons of cocaine off Central America's coast.

The Coast Guard says a U.S. Navy aircraft spotted the 60-foot vessel Wednesday about 400 miles south of the Mexico-Guatemala border.

The Coast Guard sank the vessel after determining it was too unstable to be towed to port.

The Coast Guard's statement Friday did not say if anyone was arrested. Officials didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

The bust came four days after the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy seized another homemade submarine carrying 7 tons of cocaine. That craft was towed to a Coast Rican port and four Colombians on board were arrested.