If you're like me, you've wondered how safe it is traveling the ocean crammed into a homemade narco-
submarine, sharing very limited space only with other narcos and tons of cocaine. We now have an
answer: not very. When Colombia's Navy intercepted this narco-sub in the Pacific Ocean, inside they
found three tons of coke and two dead narco- sailors. That shocking find isn't at all the
only new narco-sub action here. So many drug subs have recently been found on the oceans, rivers, and
on land, they're stacking them up. Using subs and semi-subs to move tons of coke around the globe
is on the rise. This one quite literally, raised from its watery grave, in Europe. Guess what was
found on that? The Mob Reporter here with an armada of news on narco-submarines — one of my favorite
subjects — so much news it seems drug subs may soon reset what we think we know about global bulk
cocaine movement, erasing or reducing the strategic focus on commercial ports. Let me tell you about it
The grim find was announced by the Colombian military on March 12, 2023. A narco-sub was
spotted in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Colombia. When a Colombian naval ship intercepted,
sailors were met with no resistance. These narcos didn't even try to run, and sailors soon found
out why. Inside they found 2,643 kilos of cocaine, tightly pressed into waterproof bricks — which was
anticipated — and then something that was unexpected; two bodies of narco-submariners. Another two were
found barely hanging on. They had clambered out of the sub when they realized something was wrong
before collapsing. They could be seen lying on top of the sub when the Navy arrived. They were taken
to hospital for life-saving treatment. It was inside that the true horror of their trip was
discovered. The sub was largely flooded with water; the bodies were found alongside the illicit cargo.
The Navy said they think the men were overcome by a buildup of toxic fumes, likely from the
fuel. It seems whoever designed and built this puppy didn't do a great job with ventilation,
which, along with waterproofing, is a pretty crucial component of a sub. The cocaine was
given an estimated value of more than 87 million dollars. It was all on its way to Central America,
where Colombian cocaine is trans shipped to the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It was
a busy time for the Colombian military. They caught at least six narco-subs over two weekends.
Some were caught off Colombia's Pacific coast and some off its Caribbean coast. Two were found in a
black market shipyard, along with their anticipated cargo. This pair of unfortunate narco-submariners
can't be the first to die on such a perilous journey. Some homemade narco-subs have traveled
fully across the ocean. Around the same time the Colombians were examining their narco-sub haul, off
the western coast of Spain, in an area known as a smuggler's paradise, fishermen spotted this: a narco-
sub seemingly adrift. Only the sub's front tip was visible at first, as it floated almost vertically,
like an iceberg, most of its 50-foot length underwater. It was found in the Ría de Arousa, off
the Atlantic coast in Galicia, an area long used for smuggling because of its many hidden coves
and its population of skilled seamen. Police and specialized divers with the Guardia Civil, one of
Spain's national police forces, went to investigate. After a day of trying in uncooperative weather, the
dive team and an underwater drone couldn't open the hatch. They returned the next day, re-floated
the sub, and towed it to a nearby port. There they got a good look at it, inside and out. After what
had just been found on the Colombian sub, they were pretty much ready for anything to be inside. And
when they opened it, they found nothing. No drugs, no coke; no dead narcos and certainly not living ones.
The missing crew had even given their narco- sub a name: "El Poseidon", named after the ancient
Greek god of the sea. Poseidon is said to be the protector of seafarers. Perhaps he was watching
over those on board this sub. That might explain why it's empty and they appear to have gotten away.
Police believe it completed its mission from South America and unloaded its cargo at sea,
passing the bales to boats that came to meet it. Perhaps no one wanted to drive El Poseidon
back — and who could blame them. Once empty, they may have tried to scuttle it, but didn't stick
around long enough to make sure it hit the bottom of the sea. Or perhaps it was already leaking and
they abandoned it to sink, once the coke was in safe hands. Police believe it is linked to
a recent discovery of two narco-speedboats abandoned on a beach nearby. That makes sense.
There have been two other narco-subs discovered in that region. In 2019, an enormous narco-sub was
seized about 30 miles south of where this one floundered. That one was still hot when it was
caught, loaded with three tons of cocaine. It was the first transatlantic narco- sub caught
in European waters, but likely wasn't the first to arrive. The others came and left undetected.
That find followed the discovery in 2006 of a locally made semi-sub. That one suffered
deficiencies, both in design and handling, and it was found stuck in the river after being
abandoned, with its engine running. Most narco-subs are built in South America, handmade in bootleg
dry docks on rivers that penetrate deep into the jungle. Most are semi-submersibles, meaning they
don't go completely underwater. They just ride as low as possible in the water, making them hard to
detect. But some narco-subs are true submarines. Like this one: a fully operational, 100-foot
submarine with a diesel-electric twin screw engine, discovered in a remote river in Ecuador,
just a few miles across the Colombian border, back in 2010. This puppy was built for long
range underwater action. It had a conning tower, air conditioning, and a periscope. It could have
carried 10 tons of coke and a crew of six. That was hailed as the first completely submersible,
clandestinely built, transoceanic narco-sub to be found. And it was a sign of the future.
Colombia's police and military forces routinely seized more munitions and drugs in a week than
most countries do in a year. But narco- subs seem to be more and more on the menu. They're popping
up more often, in more places. It seems global transit of bulk cocaine is undergoing another
transformation — away from shipping containers arriving at major ports, or at least adding
greater diversification towards increased underwater navigation. As technology improves,
I expect we'll see much more of this ahead. Please share a link to this video on social
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