A narco submarine containing an astonishing £72million of cocaine and two dead bodies has been discovered off Colombia.
The Colombian Navy seized the 49ft-long vessel – which had more than 2.6 tons of cocaine on board – in the Pacific Ocean.
When searching the submarine on Sunday, authorities also found two survivors who were given life-saving medical attention on a nearby ship.
Video footage has captured the moment that officers unload the submarine, laying out a substantial amount of cocaine they had seized.
A 49ft-long narco submarine (pictured) containing £72million of cocaine and two dead bodies has been discovered off Colombia
The Colombian Navy seized the submarine, which had more than 2.6 tons of cocaine (pictured) on it, in the Pacific Ocean
Two people found onboard were given life-saving medical attention but a further two were found dead
Colombian authorities trying to unravel the mystery believe that the two crew who died may have been killed by toxic gas inhalation.
Spanish media are reporting that the submarine was one of three seized by Colombian officials – with all alleged to have belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
The FARC was a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group which operated in Colombia between 1964 and 2017 and attempted to overthrow the country’s government and establish a communist state.
The group were involved drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and other criminal activities to finance its decades-long insurgency.
It’s understood that each narco submarine could carry up to six tons of cocaine.
Narco submarines are designed to travel partially submerged to avoid detection by radar and other surveillance equipment.
They are often constructed in remote areas of the Colombian jungle, and their design and construction involve a high degree of sophistication.
Reports also claim that Colombian troops discovered and destroyed a cocaine processing centre in a rural area near the northern city of Santa Marta. It is believed they seized a further two tons of cocaine there.
Colombia’s Ministry of National Defence said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: ‘The Colombian Military Forces, in the course of maritime control and security operations in the Colombian Pacific, intercepted a semi-submersible approximately 15 metres long, in which 2,643 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride were being transported, destined for distribution in Central America.
‘Once the illegal device was located, military personnel found two individuals in poor health conditions on the outside of the vessel. Apparently, there was an accident inside the semi-submersible due to the generation of toxic gases from the fuel.
‘The two men were treated and transported to a nearby vessel, where they were given the necessary medical attention to safeguard their lives.
Spanish media are reporting that the submarine was one of three seized by Colombian officials – with all alleged to have belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
Pictured: The moment that Colombian police discovered and seized the narco submarine in the Pacific
Pictured: A positive test for the drugs found onboard the semi-submersible narco submarine
‘During the inspection of the illegal device, which had a large amount of water in it, two bodies without signs of life were found and recovered. The Colombian Navy, after carrying out these procedures, recovered the alkaloid that was being transported inside the semi-submersible.
‘Subsequently, the rescued individuals, the bodies, and the drug haul were transported to the municipality of Tumaco, Narino Department, where they were presented to the Technical Investigation Corps of the Attorney General’s Office, which determined that the alkaloid was cocaine hydrochloride.
‘With this operational deployment, which had foreign support, more than 87 million dollars entering the financial structures of the narco-trafficking organisations operating in the Colombian Pacific were prevented, and more than six million doses were prevented from circulating in the international illegal market.
‘The Colombian Navy will continue to deploy all its capabilities to counteract the scourge of the narco-trafficking structures operating in the Colombian Pacific.’
