News Americas, BOGOTA, Colombia, Mon. Sept. 26, 2011: A 52 feet long submarine belonging to Farc rebels has been seized by police in Colombia.
The vessel, according to police, had the capacity to carry at least seven tonnes of drugs and was equipped with a sophisticated navigation system.
It was seized near the Pacific port city of Buenaventura and was reportedly about to be used for the first time to deliver its load. The authorities believe it cost about $2m (£1.3m) and could hold a crew of five.
“It was going to be used by the narco-terrorist 29th front of the Farc (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) in alliance with organizations of drug traffickers who operate in this southern area of the country,” drugs police chief Gen Luis Alberto Perez told Efe news agency.
Colombia is the centre of the world’s cocaine trade, and traffickers are increasingly seeking new ways to avoid detection, including traveling via submarine. Farc rebels control alot of the drug trade in the country.
