A narco-submarine (also called a drug sub or narco-sub) is a type of custom ocean-going, self-propelled, semi-submersible or fully- submersible vessel built by (or for) drug smugglers. [2][3][4] Newer semi-submersibles are "nearly-fully" submersible in order to reduce likelihood of detection by visual, radar, sonar, or infrared systems. [3] .

10 hours ago · Combating narco-subs and narco-terrorism in the U.S. and abroad 04:35. A semi-submersible vessel loaded with over 5,000 pounds of cocaine was intercepted off the Pacific coast of Colombia, the ...

Apr 12, 2020 · So what are these so-called “narco subs” and what are the main types? The U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and partner agencies' new Enhanced Counter-Narcotic Operations will go head to head with narco...

Nov 28, 2024 · Officials said they had also seized "increasingly sophisticated" drug-laden semisubmersibles -- better known as "narco subs" -- that can travel 10,000 miles without refueling.

Jan 27, 2025 · Narco-submarines, the clandestine vessels used by drug traffickers, represent one of the most sophisticated and elusive methods of smuggling drugs across international waters. These...

Jan 22, 2024 · The Colombian Navy seized a semi-submersible loaded with more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, marking the first interception of a so-called "narco sub" of 2024,...

Mar 4, 2020 · Low profile and hard to spot, narcosubs allow drug cartels to smuggle large numbers of their goods while evading traditional customs and drug enforcement inspections. According to undersea...

Jun 1, 2023 · Drug traffickers expand the use of submersible vessels to transport illicit substances as states struggle to detect them. This whack-a-mole game sees cartels improve the seaworthiness and technologies employed in building these boats.

Dec 17, 2021 · Drug cartels invented "narco subs" to smuggle drugs into the United States. The term includes both submersibles and non-submersibles, but neither are true submarines. The majority of narco...

Apr 14, 2020 · Now, naval warfare authority H.I. Sutton has broken down the four most popular types of narcosubs, which drug cartels and other groups use to ship drugs north from South America.