USCG CUTTER STRATTON

The submarine war at sea continues. Last month, the USCG Cutter Stratton intercepted a semi-submersible vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean around 200 miles south of Mexico, loaded with 16,000 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $181 million. Four men were arrested aboard the sub and taken into custody. The 40′ long narco sub was taken under tow, but later sank in international waters.

As we posted about in 2010, The New Generation of Narco Submarines: Sometime in the 1990s, cocaine smugglers switched from high speed power boats, which were easy to spot on radar, to semi-submersibles, which were almost invisible to radar and difficult to spot from other boats. They have been dubbed narco subs and typically have been around 30-40 feet long, capable of traveling around 6 knots and carrying several tons of cocaine.

CNN reports: The Coast Guard said the bust was the largest ever semi-submersible interdiction in its history and it was the first time one of its ships had recovered two subs on one patrol. The California-based Stratton also seized 5,400 pounds of cocaine in June.

In 2011, the USCG intercepted a narco sub in the Caribbean with a cargo of 7.5 tons of cocaine.