With Components Purchased Online, This Is How Colombian Drug Traffickers' Semi-Submersibles Operate

“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat 

According to specialized analyses by the Colombian Navy, these narco-submarines or semi-submersibles operate with technological tools easily acquired on sites like Amazon.

With an investment of less than 100,000 pesos, a criminal organization can build a basic navigation system capable of operating an autonomous semi-submersible for cocaine transport, which can be remotely controlled via satellite connection, if a Starlink antenna is added, without the need for a crew on board.

This type of technology, far from being for military use, is comprised of commercial equipment available on open e-commerce platforms.

According to specialized analyses by the Colombian Navy, these narco-submarines or semi-submersibles, used for drug trafficking to North America, operate with technological tools easily acquired on sites like Amazon and other platforms specializing in the sale of navigation equipment for boats and sailboats.

For example, the Naval Supply website offers the NAC-3 autopilot package, a navigation computer capable of controlling a vessel's rudder with high precision.

The system includes a compass and a sensor that reports the rudder's position in real time. This kit costs 57,990 Mexican pesos and represents the most expensive component in the manufacture of an autopilot for an unmanned semi-submersible.

Another key element is the GPS navigator, whose price ranges from 4,689 to 17,590 pesos on platforms like Amazon. The navigation system is complemented by at least three Starlink antennas, with an average cost of 12,000 pesos each, necessary to maintain a stable internet connection.

In addition, there are two Wi-Fi signal repeaters, priced from 100 to 1,000 pesos, as well as network cabling and other minor components. “The autopilot they use is the same one installed on a sailboat or a pleasure yacht; it's completely commercial equipment,” explained Frigate Captain Víctor Antonio González Badrán, director of the International Center for Research and Analysis Against Maritime Drug Trafficking.

According to technical studies, the navigation system, which includes an autopilot, GPS, cameras, and satellite connectivity, can cost less than 100,000 pesos. In contrast, the total price of the semi-submersible ranges between $150,000 and $200,000, including engines, hull, propulsion systems, and structure.

“We are not talking about sophisticated technology or technology for exclusive military use; all the components can be purchased on the legal market,” the naval officer emphasized.

These vessels have a cargo capacity of between one and one and a half tons of cocaine hydrochloride, with an approximate range of 300 nautical miles, although their range can be extended through refueling at sea.

Furthermore, they are designed to optimize space exclusively for drugs, eliminating areas intended for crew, provisions, or habitability systems.

“By not carrying people on board, criminal organizations eliminate the risk of human captures and significantly reduce direct prosecution processes,” González Badrán warned.

This method, he explained, represents a structural change in maritime drug trafficking, as it makes it difficult to obtain judicial and intelligence information from detainees.

Colombia

The Colombian Navy considers that autonomous semi-submersibles mark a new technological milestone in transnational organized crime.

“It is a natural evolution of drug trafficking: less human risk, greater cargo capacity, and remote control from anywhere in the world,” said the director of SINCÓM, who warned that these vessels also represent a risk to maritime safety, as they navigate without a crew on commercial routes. The phenomenon confirms that drug trafficking is innovating not only in routes, but also in technology, by taking advantage of tools designed for civilian and recreational use and transforming them into clandestine platforms for illicit transport in the world's seas.

Source: Milenio