Coasties intercept 'narco’ sub carrying $165M in cocaine
By The Associated Press
U.S. Coast Guard boarding team members climb aboard a suspected smuggling vessel in September. The 40-foot self-propelled semi-submersible vessel carried an estimated 12,000 pounds of cocaine, plus four suspected drug smugglers. (Coast Guard)
MIAMI — The U.S. Coast Guard says a cutter patrolling eastern parts of the Pacific Ocean seized a “narco” submarine carrying cocaine worth a street value of more than $165 million.
In a Tuesday news release, the agency says the crew captured the self-propelled semi-submersible in international waters earlier this month and apprehended four suspected drug smugglers.
The semi-submersible was detected and monitored by maritime patrol aircraft and the Coast Guard cutter’s crew was diverted by the Joint Interagency Task Force South to seize it.
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