Ever Heard of a “Narco-Sub”?

Narcotic smuggling sub

If you haven’t, you’re probably not the first. It is a not-too-clever play on words for a submarine filled with Narcotics. If you haven’t heard of it before, look it up and hundreds of pictures come up. The vessels are usually handmade subs that have had varying degrees of success over the years.

The first Narco-sub caught by the Coast Guard in 1993 was made of wood and plexiglass and could not submerge. These homemade subs are used by drug producers in South America to import large amounts of cocaine or other narcotics in an attempt to avoid detection.

The most recent bust was on July 18th of this year. The sub—filled with 16,870 pounds of cocaine—was apprehended off the coast of El Salvador. In 2010, it was calculated that 60 incidents of narco-subs had occurred. Since then there have been several more as drug producers create more and more ways to smuggle cocaine and other drugs into the US.

Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant that is sold by itself or cooked into crack cocaine. The substance is a “schedule 2” substance and is highly illegal. Someone who is using cocaine may appear jittery, over energetic, and they may have dilated pupils. For more information on signs of drug abuse, or if someone you know needs treatment, contact us today.