The Colombian Navy announced it has seized a "narco sub" equipped with a Starlink antenna off its coast.
The vessel, which is not technically a submarine but a semisubmersible, was on a test run and empty when caught by authorities, a naval spokeswoman told AFP. The vessels are typically constructed from wood and fiberglass, materials that are hard to detect via radar. They are also painted in order to blend in with the ocean.
It is the first such discovery in South America, Admiral Juan Ricardo Pozo said in a press conference. He added that the vessel was owned by the Gulf Clan and was able to transport some 1.5 tons of cocaine.
The seizure comes a week after Mexico's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, announced a seizure in the country's waters.
The vessel was carrying 3.5 tons of cocaine and appeared to be bound for the United States, the official added.
García Harfuch said in a social media publication that three foreign nationals were arrested during the operation, which was led by the Mexican Navy.
"The Navy seized a semisubmersible off the coast of Guerrero that was carrying more than 3.5 tons of cocaine; three foreign nationals were also arrested," he wrote.
Authorities recovered 180 packages of cocaine with an estimated value of nearly $45 million. The cargo, vessel and detainees were turned over to Mexico's Attorney General's Office for legal proceedings and investigation, according to Infobae México.
According to a 2022 report by Colombia's International Center for Research and Analysis Against Maritime Drug Trafficking (CIMCON), these vessels cost roughly $150,000 to build and are usually constructed in remote, clandestine shipyards along Colombia's Pacific coast.
A near-record number of LPVs were intercepted across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in 2024, according to InSight Crime.
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