US seizes semi-submersible ship carrying drugs worth more than 190 million USD

A US reconnaissance plane discovered a semi-submersible ship in the Pacific Ocean carrying 5.5 tons of cocaine and arrested its four crew members.

According toBusiness InsiderA P-3 surveillance aircraft on March 2 spotted a semi-submersible motorized vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Officers intercepted the vessel and found more than 5.5 tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $194 million, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement on March 24. U.S. officers arrested the four crew members.

However, "the semi-submersible lost its balance and sank," CBP said. Although the vessel was not seized, CBP said the operation was a success. "Our officers will take every opportunity to disrupt this transnational criminal activity," said John Wassong, director ofNational Air Security Operations Center in Texas, said.

Semi-submersible vessels used for drug smuggling are typically built to move low on the water, with an exhaust pipe, cockpit and an airbag protruding from the surface. They are often camouflaged and many are built in Colombia, a major center of cocaine production.

According to VNE