Columbia: Drug Smugglers Up the Ante

The smuggling of illicit drugs across international borders, as well as the detection and eradication of such smuggling operations, has long been fodder for reporters and politicians alike. But the startling developments outside Bogota, the capital of Colombia, indicate that smugglers have just upped the ante in the game. Found recently in a cow pasture high in the Andes was a submarine outfitted for the transport of cocaine and allegedly designed by a Russian engineer. The 100-foot sub is more than 11 feet in diameter and its design is reported to be beyond the current capabilities of even the Colombian navy.

Smugglers have long developed methods for secretly transporting illegal drugs, and have even used high-priced modified Boeing 727s that allow them to escape radar detection. Less sophisticated methods of smuggling illicit drugs include hollowing out the heels of shoes, using false-bottomed suitcases, and packing the drugs with other, legitimate exports. Although smugglers have created many ingenious methods for transporting drugs, none have come close to the development of the high-priced submarine.

The raid that led to the discovery of the sub also turned up documents that included names of Russian and American origin, and it is expected that individuals from both countries are involved. Colombia, the leading exporter of cocaine, produces nearly 520 tons of the illegal drug each year. A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official noted that the Russian mafia has become increasingly involved with drug trafficking to Europe.