Colombian navy block narco-subs filled with cocaine from taking new Australia route
The Columbian Navy blocked off a submarine full of class A substances taking a route towards Australia. Hundreds of arrests have been made and several plots have been uncovered.
While it did not hold any clues as to where it was due to reach shore, authorities discovered that the vessel contained enough fuel to take it all the way to Australia. This is a new smuggling route used by drug mules, who attempt to transport cocaine between countries completely undetected.
Columbia were aware of these schemes, as they prove particularly well-paid of drug cartels in the country. Smuggling cocaine from South America to Australia means a kilogramme of the illegal drug can fetch up to $240,000 (£190,000).
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This price is around six times more than if they were to sell in the US, Colombian security forces said. They suggested drug organisations are changing their directions to fetch more cash.
However this was not the first, but rather the third vessel picked up in that patch of the Pacific Ocean. From this news, they gathered that a new maritime route has been detected between them and Australia.
Not only that, Aussies are in fact the biggest cocaine fans across the world. They consume the most of the substance per capita. Coming in as a close second are the Brits, who are also suggested to have a slight affinity to the drug amid the partying scene.
The vessel was tracked down 1,200 miles southwest of Clipperton Island, a French coral atoll in the ocean. It was not a highly technical device, made simply of wood-and-fibre-glass.
Despite this, it did the job as intended. It was released from the Colombian port of Tumaco and managed to gain thousands of miles before it was intercepted by the Navy.
The chief of naval operations staff for the Colombian Navy, Vice-Admiral Orlando Enrique Grisales, spoke at a press conference about the ordeal. He revealed the criminal gangs had found a new way for the drugs to be transported without needing to top up with fuel.
“The first was discovered in Colombian waters, and thanks to the maps it carried, we identified the route,” he said. “That’s when we began working with Australian authorities.”
The Navy have cracked down on these new transportations and dubbed the project “Orion.” It’s proved successful, with total of 225 tonnes of cocaine over six weeks.
Over 400 arrests have been made across several countries, with authorities saying it is an international operation.
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