New 'Founder' Route Of Colombian Cocaine Cartel, Using A 16,093 Km Submarine To Australia

Illustration. The Alugoro submarine made by PT PAL for trials in the Bali Strait can be seen from Banyuwangi, East Java, Tuesday, January 21, 2020. (ANTARA-Budi C S)

JAKARTA - The Colombian Navy (AL) has uncovered a new route for drug trafficking using submarines via Pacific waters from South America to Australia.

This disclosure follows the seizure of a semi-submersible submarine that is strongly suspected of smuggling drugs across Pacific waters covering a distance of about 10,000 miles or 16,093 km without the need to refuel.

"It's a very profitable route, as the price [drugs] is much higher in Australia," a Colombian Ministry of Security source told AFP, quoted by CBN News, Thursday, November 28.

Colombian Navy official Orlando Enrique Grisales added that in Australia the selling price of cocaine was 240,000 US dollars or around Rp. 3.8 billion per 1 kilogram (kg).

According to Grisales, the nominal is six times more expensive than the selling price of cocaine in the US.

The Colombian Navy explained that initially the use of submarines by cartels to carry drugs from Colombia to off the coast of the country. Then the illicit goods were transferred to ships.

By securing this semi-submersible submarine by the Colombian Navy, it means that the tools used for the smuggling or drug trafficking process are increasingly sophisticated and reach long distances.

The arrest of this submarine is part of an operation carried out by the Colombian Navy, in collaboration with US security agencies, Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands, and several other countries, as well as a number of international organizations.

In the operation during the last six weeks, the joint apparatus secured 225 metric tons of cocaine and 128 tons of marijuana.

More than 400 people were arrested in the operation targeting oceans, beaches, rivers and ports around the world in October-November 2024.

"This may be the largest seizure of cocaine in Colombia's history," Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on his social media accounts.

Semi-submersible submarines cannot fully dive underwater and are often used by international drug dealers to avoid law enforcement detection.

The submarines were often caught in Colombian waters while heading to the US, Central America, or Europe.

In June 2024, the Colombian Navy arrested two "drug submarines" carrying 5 tons of cocaine off the country's Pacific coast.