The Wall Street Journal - The New, Secret Cocaine Superhighway Under the Atlantic | WSJ
Authorities in Spain are intensifying efforts to combat drug trafficking using narco subs, which are increasingly sophisticated and difficult to detect. These vessels, often semi-submersibles, are constructed by cartels in South American jungles and can transport large quantities of cocaine across oceans. The Spanish coast, particularly near Galicia, is a hotspot for these activities, with at least three narco subs found in recent years, though many more are believed to have evaded detection. The first narco sub discovered in 2019 highlighted their advanced capabilities, capable of traveling 4,000 miles from Brazil to Spain. Despite costing around a million dollars to build, these vessels can carry cocaine worth $139 million. They are designed to be low-profile and are often camouflaged to blend with the ocean, making detection challenging. Authorities use thermal imagery cameras to spot them, but the vast search area makes it difficult. Drug gangs use these subs as part of a broader strategy to overwhelm law enforcement by flooding zones with cocaine using multiple transport methods simultaneously. This strategy, combined with the limited resources of law enforcement, makes it nearly impossible to catch all narco subs. Even with record-breaking seizures, authorities struggle to keep up with the cartels' innovations, including the potential use of unmanned drones.
Key Points:
- Narco subs are used by drug cartels to smuggle cocaine across oceans, often built in South American jungles.
- These vessels are semi-submersibles, low-profile, and camouflaged, making them hard to detect.
- Spanish authorities use thermal imagery cameras but face challenges due to the vast search areas.
- Drug gangs employ a strategy of overwhelming law enforcement by using multiple transport methods.
- Despite record seizures, authorities struggle to keep up with cartels' innovations, including unmanned drones.
Details:
1. 🚤 Battle Against Narco Subs: The Global Drug War
- Criminal gangs are increasingly using man-made submersibles to smuggle cocaine across oceans, indicating a significant evolution in drug trafficking methods.
- The global cocaine trade has reached an all-time high, emphasizing the urgent need for effective detection and interception strategies.
- Authorities have identified the construction of these makeshift vessels deep in the jungle as a critical focus area for disrupting the drug trade.
- Patrol operations in Spain, as observed by 'The Wall Street Journal,' are part of the international efforts to combat the use of narco subs.
- Technological advancements in sonar and aerial surveillance are being leveraged to detect these underwater vessels more effectively.
- Collaborations between international law enforcement agencies have been strengthened to improve intelligence sharing and operational coordination.
- The implementation of more sophisticated naval patrols has led to an increase in the interception rate of these submersibles.
2. 🌊 Patrolling the Spanish Coast: A Daily Vigil
- The team conducts daily patrols along the northern Spanish coast to monitor and prevent illegal activities, with a particular focus on detecting narco submarines.
- Narco submarines present a significant challenge for detection due to their low profile and ability to travel long distances undetected.
- In the past five years, three narco submarines were discovered near Galicia; however, it's estimated that around 30 have gone undetected, highlighting the scale of the challenge.
- The first narco submarine found in 2019 demonstrated advanced capabilities, revealing these vessels can undertake long voyages, such as a 4,000-mile journey from Brazil to Spain in 27 days.
- To combat these challenges, the patrols employ advanced technologies and strategic international cooperation to enhance detection and interception efforts.
3. 🔍 Inside the Narco Subs: A Peek into the Dark World
3.1. Narco Submarine Construction
3.2. Narco Submarine Operation
4. 🚢 Expanding Narco Routes: The Global Network
- Narco submarines have been utilized for decades, with established routes from Ecuador and Colombia in the Pacific Ocean to Central America and overland through Mexico to the US.
- Despite intensive law enforcement efforts, the capture rate of narco subs remains low, highlighting the effectiveness of these vessels in evading detection.
- Drug traffickers employ diverse strategies to avoid detection, such as using camouflage techniques by painting subs to match ocean colors and exploiting thermal imagery's limitations.
- Operations at sea involve offloading drugs from larger narco subs onto smaller vessels, facilitating covert transportation to shore.
- In Galicia, cocaine distribution benefits from the region's sparsely populated and mountainous terrain, allowing for undetected land operations during nighttime.
- The use of narco subs is part of a broader strategy to overwhelm law enforcement by simultaneously deploying multiple transport methods, making it challenging to curb the influx of drugs.
5. ⚖️ Challenges in Drug Detection: The Struggle Continues
- Drug traffickers are outsmarting authorities by increasing the flow of cocaine through ports, using them as major trade hubs.
- Organizations involved in drug trafficking remain consistently one step ahead of enforcement agencies.
- Agents undertake manual inspections of containers, but due to the sheer volume, only 2% to 10% of the more than 90 million containers in European ports can be inspected physically each year.
- Seized cocaine is found to be 90% pure, indicating minimal adulteration and high potency of smuggled drugs.
- Despite record-breaking drug seizures globally, authorities are struggling to match the pace of traffickers' innovations.
- The development of unmanned drones by cartels poses a potential future challenge, making drug detection even more difficult.