The Colombian navy has made a significant drug seizure, confiscating over one ton of cocaine worth tens of millions of dollars. This occurred after intercepting a suspicious motor boat en route to Central America, as announced by authorities on Thursday.
The boat, known as a “go fast” boat, was sailing in the waters off the Providencia Archipelago, which is the only part of Colombia located in Central America. It is situated approximately 110 miles off the coast of Nicaragua. The Colombian navy, in a news release, stated that the boat was monitored by a Maritime Task Group. After a prolonged pursuit, the task group successfully intercepted the boat.
The boat was manned by five individuals from Colombia. Upon inspection at the San Andrés Coast Guard Station, officials discovered 48 packages and 40 loose rectangular packages containing a suspicious substance. A preliminary identification confirmed that the substance was indeed cocaine, according to the navy.
According to authorities, the seized cocaine weighed 1,235 kilograms (approximately 1.36 tons). In the illicit international market, this quantity of drugs would be worth more than $41,619,000.00.
Colombia is responsible for producing 60% of the world’s cocaine, according to the BBC. Peru and Bolivia are other major cocaine-producing countries. Additionally, the United States has been identified as the largest consumer of Colombian cocaine, as reported by CBS News.
Forbes reports that “go fast” boats are commonly used for drug transportation due to their ability to evade detection. These boats have been utilized since the 1980s and often make landfall in Mexico before drugs are transported into the United States.
The Colombian navy has intercepted 228 “narco submarines” in the past 30 years. These vessels, which usually remain low in the water to avoid detection, have rarely fully submerged, as previously reported by CBS News. In May 2023, Colombian authorities seized the largest recorded “narco sub.” It measured 100 feet in length and 10 feet in width, carrying three tons of cocaine. Two weeks later, a crew on a semi-submersible vessel attempted to sink over 5,000 pounds of cocaine worth $81 million, along with the sub itself, upon detection by Colombian authorities. However, their efforts were unsuccessful, leading to the arrest of the three individuals on board.
As of Thursday, the Colombian Navy has seized a total of 265 tons of cocaine this year.
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