U.S. Coast Guard Busts Drug Submarine, Seizes $181M Worth of Cocaine (16,000 lbs)

originally posted by: MrSpad

originally posted by: Xtrozero

originally posted by: rexsblues

U.S. Coast Guard was 200 miles south of Mexico, how's that work exaclty, anybody know?

That is a good question. I been on these drug interventions that go all the way to bottom of South America. These drug boats are actually going across to Africa then on to Europe and I asked them about the legal jurisdiction and it is something hazy in the international seaman's code....

In this case it was a Navy air patrol that detected it and sent the Coast Guard to intercept it. However the Coast Guard does do joint patrols and operate out of ports across Central and South America.

I will guess they get extradited back to the home country to stand trial there?

originally posted by: bobw927
one day these cartels will have a real submarine that stays below the surface and will run battery power as t get close to the US Shore these semi submersibles have come and gone and they are being caught a Full submarine is what they will do next.
and the coastguard will have to track that. maybe something from ww2 .

Who is to say they don't already. We prob just haven't busted one yet and the cartel keeps sending the semi-submersibles to keep us thinking they have no better means of travel.

Besides for every semi-submersible we find three more slip through the cracks.

originally posted by: MrSpad
In this case it was a Navy air patrol that detected it and sent the Coast Guard to intercept it. However the Coast Guard does do joint patrols and operate out of ports across Central and South America.

On Cutters I haven't seen joint operations, and the aircrew are actually under different legal status than the regular coastie, more like a cop. They do contact the country the ship is flying a flag from, but in this case hard to tell. They are more interested in the hardware (boats and refueling fishing vessels) and the drugs than the people anyways.

A sub though is like their Holy Grail find.

originally posted by: PraetorianAZ
Who is to say they don't already. We prob just haven't busted one yet and the cartel keeps sending the semi-submersibles to keep us thinking they have no better means of travel.

Besides for every semi-submersible we find three more slip through the cracks.

I think the best would be a totally out in the open sailing yacht, the Coast Guard doesn't give them a second glance....

originally posted by: Xtrozero

originally posted by: MrSpad
In this case it was a Navy air patrol that detected it and sent the Coast Guard to intercept it. However the Coast Guard does do joint patrols and operate out of ports across Central and South America.

On Cutters I haven't seen joint operations, and the aircrew are actually under different legal status than the regular coastie, more like a cop. They do contact the country the ship is flying a flag from, but in this case hard to tell. They are more interested in the hardware (boats and refueling fishing vessels) and the drugs than the people anyways.

A sub though is like their Holy Grail find.

I was meaning more that US Coast Guard personnel operate off other nations ships, boarding teams in particular. This is common in the Caribbean under the Joint Interagency Task Force South. I assume it happens other places as well but, I could be wrong.

originally posted by: MrSpad

I was meaning more that US Coast Guard personnel operate off other nations ships, boarding teams in particular. This is common in the Caribbean under the Joint Interagency Task Force South. I assume it happens other places as well but, I could be wrong.

I think we are the only ones paroling South America...maybe Brazil too, they have a good size Navy, nice ships, spent a week on one.

originally posted by: Xtrozero

originally posted by: MrSpad

I was meaning more that US Coast Guard personnel operate off other nations ships, boarding teams in particular. This is common in the Caribbean under the Joint Interagency Task Force South. I assume it happens other places as well but, I could be wrong.

I think we are the only ones paroling South America...maybe Brazil too, they have a good size Navy, nice ships, spent a week on one.

In the Caribbean the Dutch, French and UK always has ship on station and Canada does as well in the summer. Along with Brazil, Chile also has a nice navy. As far as I know they are the only ones who ever leave the region. Brazil joins joint NATO African Union naval exercises in Africa on occasion and Chile is a part of RIMPAC in Hawaii every year.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: rexsblues

damn i wonder how the CIA will cover that loss......

In all seriousness though.... a homemade submarine, i am impressed at the lengths drug runners will go to get their product out there.....

They called it a "homemade" submarine to downplay it. But there's no way some normal drug runners had $181 million worth of coc aine. The drug industry is brutal & no low level person will have access to that much product.

To give a comparison, a Spanish boat was caught smuggling coc aine a year ago (almost to the day). It was a tall ship supposedly still used by the Spanish Navy for training exercises. It only had 280lbs of coc aine on it.

Spain busts navy ship that smuggled coc aine to New York

originally posted by: MrSpad
Brazil joins joint NATO African Union naval exercises in Africa on occasion and Chile is a part of RIMPAC in Hawaii every year.

Brazil has a good size Navy. Big troop carriers too, but I never been with them outside of their waters. Theirs ships are very new too with many 2000 plus in age. I would figure as much since they have rather larger coast.

www.youtube.com...

.... probably just the sacrificial load

The WAR ON DRUGS has been WON.

originally posted by: Xtrozero

originally posted by: MrSpad
Brazil joins joint NATO African Union naval exercises in Africa on occasion and Chile is a part of RIMPAC in Hawaii every year.

Brazil has a good size Navy. Big troop carriers too, but I never been with them outside of their waters. Theirs ships are very new too with many 2000 plus in age. I would figure as much since they have rather larger coast.

Yeah a large Navy that they do not seem to know what to do with beyond patrol the coast. They are even modernizing that aircraft carrier which seems like a waste of money if your Navy rarely leaves your own waters. I know the go to Africa for an exercise on occasion and to the US as well but, as far as I know that is it. They did just do a joint exercise with Guyana's Coast Guard because both countries have growing tension with Venezuela but that a border state.

Have you been to the US Naval Detachment in São Paulo? I always imagine that would be a great duty station.

And on subject I would guess the Pacific would be the way to go if you moving drugs, less places with ships in the water. The Caribbean states have been getting old Coast Guard ships over the years to use in anti drug patrols.

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

The CIA loads do not get busted.

originally posted by: MrSpad


Have you been to the US Naval Detachment in São Paulo? I always imagine that would be a great duty station.

And on subject I would guess the Pacific would be the way to go if you moving drugs, less places with ships in the water. The Caribbean states have been getting old Coast Guard ships over the years to use in anti drug patrols.

I was at a big Navy ship yard near Rio, and I'm just a consultant in all this so I'm not Navy, retired Air Force...hehe go figure. All the drugs down there go across to Africa. It seems that being on the Pacific side and traveling down around and then up is a long way to go, but I guess they got time.

What an epic fail...submarine my ass....if its so ''submarine'' how come it only takes a boat to board it LOL.

181 mil bucks lost...s will be flying back home in el mehico.

a reply to: crazyewok

Hillary would...

a reply to: rexsblues

Wouldn't these folks be considered "non violent" offenders by the current administration?