U.S. Coast Guard Busts Drug Submarine, Seizes $181M Worth of Cocaine (16,000 lbs)

The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a homemade submarine and seized a coc aine haul worth at least $181 million off the coast of Mexico, officials said.

The bust last month is the biggest of its kind in Coast Guard history.

The Coast Guard Cutter Stratton intercepted the 40-foot "self-propelled semi-submersible" in the Pacific Ocean 200 miles south of Mexico on July 18 and arrested four alleged smugglers, officials said. The Guard seized 275 bales of coc aine.

"Every interception of these semi-submersibles disrupts transnational organized crime networks and helps increase security and stability in the Western Hemisphere," Coast Guard Vice Admiral Charles W. Ray, commander of the Pacific area, said in a statement.

The Stratton tried to tow the semi-submersible to shore, but it sank and took 4,000 pounds of coc aine with it, the Coast Guard said. The Guard recovered 12,000 pounds of drugs before the vessel sank.

A U.S. Navy plane spotted the blue-colored semi-submersible and notified the Coast Guard, officials said. The boats have become a favorite of Colombian smugglers, who have been using them for a decade.

"All that you can see is the exhaust pipe and the cockpit from air, so they're very difficult to see," U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Allyson Conroy said.

Coast Guard Busts Drug Submarine, Seizes $181M Worth of Cocaine



...minus seizing a processing house in the middle of central america, is this the largest bust in history? ...maybe in transit at least?

U.S. Coast Guard was 200 miles south of Mexico, how's that work exaclty, anybody know?

Wondering why they waited so long to break the news? My guess is that they were scouting a reaction to the vessel going "missing". What do you guys think?

Who knows the dynamics, but El Chapo's probably like'n this, being that it was more than likely Colombians.

a reply to: rexsblues

damn i wonder how the CIA will cover that loss......

In all seriousness though.... a homemade submarine, i am impressed at the lengths drug runners will go to get their product out there.....

a reply to: rexsblues

7.2T stashed in a semi-submersible blue drugmarine.......almost worthy of a Beatles song.

Bloody evil drug baron pirates - they still haven't learned that the CIA doesn't like competition.

a reply to: rexsblues

Well at least American authorities are a little more rational when they value it. $181 million @ 1200 pounds turns out to be $33US a gram, still probably a little overpriced for bulk price, considering 1 gram apparently only sells for $80 over there at street level.

If it was in Australia, they'd call it 1.9AU billion dollars worth, or 1.4US billion dollars worth, since a gram sells here for $350AU (or $258US). Those custom Nazis don't mess around downunder, they'll do ya at street level prices every time!

Awww Nuts...

Bang goes my retirement scheme that I worked so hard on for the past week or too...

On topic : Welll done to the US coast guard in contributing to ridding the streets of this crap... and pissing the CIA and other *ahem* agencies off too...

Kindest respects

Nibs

a reply to: rexsblues

Its not the largest bust in history, we had one off the Irish coast in 2008 valued at 440m euro's

Ireland's largest drug bust
Because of our rugged coastline with lots of inlets and bays, and the lack of a proper navy, we're an ideal entry point for European smuggling operations.

a reply to: rexsblues

Suppose we have to give them credit for there ingenuity. That being said the boat looks to be only semi submersible to me. Wonder how long it will be before they are constructing them with radar absorbent carbon fiber materials and are able to achieve depths and propulsion speeds in line with the commercial/recreational variants available? Not long i imagine considering the profits evolved.

Tons of Cocaine?

America would snort that up in a minute…

Published on Aug 6, 2015
The Coast Guard Cutter Stratton crew seizes coc aine bales from a self-propelled semi-submersible interdicted in international waters off the coast of Central America, July 19, 2015. The Coast Guard recovered more than 6 tons of coc aine from the 40-foot vessel.

Semi submersible, not a true submarine. Lo profile but a surface runner, nonetheless. They probably saw the exhaust heat signature or… had foreknowledge of its route and timing? What else would the US "Coast" guard be doing down there?

I would have a big old snow face by now....capture me?...i'm going down stoned.

Then comes the big gun training and a new fish reef!! Now thats what it's really about.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: rexsblues

Suppose we have to give them credit for there ingenuity. That being said the boat looks to be only semi submersible to me. Wonder how long it will be before they are constructing them with radar absorbent carbon fiber materials and are able to achieve depths and propulsion speeds in line with the commercial/recreational variants available? Not long i imagine considering the profits evolved.

Some of those drug dealers could easily buy a defunct sub for real....Escobar was spending £20,000 a year on elastic bands just to bundle up his Dollars.

a reply to: Soloprotocol

Very true, there not exactly short of finance, manpower or conviction. Definitely a growth industry. As our respective governments are well aware.

They probably saw the exhaust heat signature or… had foreknowledge of its route and timing?

lol, you give em way to much credit to even contemplate the thought that they actually caught them via investigation.

They siphon billions of dollars of tax's payers money to just sit around on there arse's all day doing nothing.... then only ever bust anyone when someone makes an anonymous call. That's the reality of it.

Welcome to the war on drugs!

The Stratton tried to tow the semi-submersible to shore, but it sank and took 4,000 pounds of coc aine with it, the Coast Guard said. The Guard recovered 12,000 pounds of drugs before the vessel sank.

Ha! 4000 lbs "sank", I find that real hard to believe. Easy way to write off that much coc aine to be used else where under the radar.

They would let a boat full of people sink before they would 4000lbs of coc aine.

originally posted by: Soloprotocol

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: rexsblues

Suppose we have to give them credit for there ingenuity. That being said the boat looks to be only semi submersible to me. Wonder how long it will be before they are constructing them with radar absorbent carbon fiber materials and are able to achieve depths and propulsion speeds in line with the commercial/recreational variants available? Not long i imagine considering the profits evolved.

Some of those drug dealers could easily buy a defunct sub for real....Escobar was spending £20,000 a year on elastic bands just to bundle up his Dollars.

Problem is were do they spend the money?

Most country's don't take dirty money......minus the USA but then only for guns and ammo.

The fish around there are gonna be wasted :-/

a reply to: rexsblues

Hell if they didn't recover it all I am on my way!

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa
a reply to: rexsblues

Well at least American authorities are a little more rational when they value it. $181 million @ 1200 pounds turns out to be $33US a gram, still probably a little overpriced for bulk price, considering 1 gram apparently only sells for $80 over there at street level.

If it was in Australia, they'd call it 1.9AU billion dollars worth, or 1.4US billion dollars worth, since a gram sells here for $350AU (or $258US). Those custom Nazis don't mess around downunder, they'll do ya at street level prices every time!

Who the hell would pay $300 a gram? You guys are retarded....Just plan a trip to America, you can usually get hooked up for $40 or so....Or so I hear

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: Soloprotocol

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: rexsblues

Suppose we have to give them credit for there ingenuity. That being said the boat looks to be only semi submersible to me. Wonder how long it will be before they are constructing them with radar absorbent carbon fiber materials and are able to achieve depths and propulsion speeds in line with the commercial/recreational variants available? Not long i imagine considering the profits evolved.

Some of those drug dealers could easily buy a defunct sub for real....Escobar was spending £20,000 a year on elastic bands just to bundle up his Dollars.

Problem is were do they spend the money?

Most country's don't take dirty money......minus the USA but then only for guns and ammo.

HSBC launder drug money caught and semi convicted...

Its not the largest bust in history

It said the largest in US Coast Guard history.