Interesting Drug Smuggler Technique - Drug Smuggling Semi-Submersible

g Captain Tells Us;

A Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment intercepts a semi-submersible vessel 375 nautical miles west of the Galapagos Islands on March 1, 2008. Four smugglers were recovered from the sea after the vessel took on water and sank. CNN tells us:

The USCG has intercepted another DIY Semi-Submersible operated by drug smugglers. CNN reports:

In the past three months the Coast Guard has learned of
more semi-submersible vessels smuggling drugs than it did in the
previous six years, when there were 23 cases, officials said.

U.S. Coast Guard intelligence officers predict 85 cases this year and 120 next year.

In some instances, the semi-subs are towed behind other vessels and
are scuttled if they are detected, Allen said. Authorities are
investigating reports that some semi-subs are unmanned and are operated
remotely, he said.

Diplomatic agreements give the U.S. Coast Guard drug-interdiction jurisdiction in partner countries’ waters.

Encounters have become so frequent — and the dangers of boarding the
vessels so pronounced — that the Coast Guard is pushing for legislation
that would make the use of “unflagged” semi-submersibles in
international waters a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison,
even if authorities can’t recover drug evidence because the smugglers
scuttle the transports.

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 Drug Smuggler Technique - Drug Smuggling Semi-Submersible