Semi-submersible vehicles - so-called because unlike true submarines they must run just below the surface - have been used by drug-smugglers since the early-1990s, with the first being discovered in 1993.
These semi-submersibles, sometimes called narco subs, sit just below the water line, with only the exhaust, air intake and access hatch above the waves. They are difficult, but not impossible to spot by patrolling aircraft and ships, and they also have a very small radar and sonar signature.
Narco-subs are usually rather crudely constructed, using wood, plastic tubing and off-the-shelf fiberglass to form the hulls, and clunky old diesel engines for power. Despite this, they can cost upwards of $2 million each, and construction can last over a year. It seems odd then that many are designed for one-time use, and after they've reached their destination and the cargo is offloaded the crews scuttle the vessel before making the return journey onboard a conventional boat. But when you consider the drugs onboard may have been worth over $400 million, the sub's price is nothing but a minor business expense.
Recently however, US and Colombian authorities have been discovering ever more sophisticated semi-submersibles, and even some genuine submarines capable of diving and running entirely beneath the surface. Last year, for the very first time a fully-submersible vessel was captured by Colombian authorities. Then in February a second submarine was discovered while it was under construction.
Drug enforcement agencys in the US and South America are now worried that drug-runners are increasingly turning toward these fully submersible vessels and away from the semi-submersibles. Officials point out that in the last two years seizures of semi-submersibles have dropped significantly. That could mean many drug-traffickers have already made the switch to true submarines, and the trade is booming undetected beneath the waves.
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