Narcos Subs

Narco submarines are covert, custom-built maritime vessels used by drug traffickers, primarily from South America, to smuggle large quantities of illicit drugs, most commonly cocaine, while avoiding detection by law enforcement.

Design and Detection Evasion

Most “narco submarines” are actually self-propelled semi-submersibles (SPSS) or low-profile vessels (LPVs) that ride very low in the water, with only a small cockpit or exhaust pipe visible above the surface. This minimal freeboard and use of materials like fiberglass make them difficult to detect via radar, sonar, or visual patrols. More sophisticated “true submarines” (fully submersible vessels or FSVs) also exist but are rarer, often only discovered on land during construction or after being scuttled.

Traffickers use various methods to enhance stealth:

Camouflage: Vessels are often painted blue or grey to blend with the ocean waves.
Thermal Reduction: Newer models pipe engine exhaust along the hull’s bottom to cool it before it’s released, making them less susceptible to infrared detection.
Remote Operation: Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) and “narco-torpedoes” (cargo containers towed underwater or released with GPS beacons) are also used to reduce crew risk and increase stealth.

Construction and Operation

Narco submarines are typically built in clandestine shipyards hidden within the remote jungle river systems of Colombia and Ecuador. They are designed for one-way, non-stop journeys, often carrying between one and ten tons of cocaine.

Routes: Primary routes run from Colombia’s Pacific coast north toward Central America and Mexico, for eventual overland transport to the U.S.. In recent years, cartels have also expanded their reach across the Atlantic to Europe (especially Spain) and the Pacific to Australia and New Zealand.
Logistics: Voyages can be long and arduous, lasting weeks. The vessels are often supported by a network of fishing vessels that provide refueling and supplies at sea.
Profit vs. Risk: Though expensive to build (up to $2 million USD or more), the potential profits are enormous, as a single successful multi-ton shipment can have a street value in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The crew, often professional fishermen, are poorly paid in comparison and face extreme physical risk, sometimes referring to the vessels as “coffins”.

Interdiction Efforts

Law enforcement agencies, led by the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy through the Joint Interagency Task Force South, devote significant resources to detecting and intercepting these vessels.

Detection Challenges: Despite advancements, detection remains difficult, and U.S. authorities estimate that only a small percentage (around 10-25%) of all narco-subs are intercepted.
Legal Measures: To counter the previous loophole where crews would scuttle the vessel and be rescued without evidence of a crime, the U.S. enacted the Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act of 2008, making it a felony to operate an unflagged semi-submersible in international waters. Colombia passed a similar law in 2009, criminalizing the unauthorized building or possession of these vessels.

What advancements are being made to detect narco submarines?

What are the typical routes these vessels take?

Narco-submarine – Wikipedia