The Colombian navy intercepted a “ghost” submarine in the Pacific on Sunday, finding two dead bodies on board as well as more than 2.6 tons of cocaine, according to a statement from Colombia’s Ministry of National Defense cited by the New York Post.
Naval officials discovered the partially submerged 49-foot vessel while patrolling the waters outside the country March 12, according to the NY Post. Outside of the vessel, naval personnel discovered two individuals in poor health owing to an accident inside the semi-submersible that generated toxic gases from the ship’s fuel, the NY Post reported, citing the country’s defense ministry.
“The two men were treated and transported to a nearby vessel, where they were given the necessary medical attention to safeguard their lives,” the statement continued.
Within the vessel, officials discovered two corpses and 2.6 tons of cocaine, estimated to be worth more than $87 million, the outlet reported. (RELATED: New Zealand Authorities Make $316 Million-Dollar-Discovery Floating In Pacific Ocean)
Ghost submarine with $87.7 million of cocaine and two bodies aboard seized off coast of Colombia https://t.co/uOPAkr4vhF pic.twitter.com/PHe9yedqmZ
— New York Post (@nypost) March 13, 2023
The captured submarine is one of three recently seized by the government and was reportedly owned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist guerilla group involved in drug trafficking to finance their attempts to overthrow the Colombian government, according to the NY Post.
Before disarming and turning their weapons over to the United Nations in 2017, FARC developed narco-submarines, similar to the one discovered by the country’s navy, to avoid detection, the outlet reported.
Colombia’s Ministry of National Defense praised the navy’s efforts in helping to counter drug trafficking and crimes within and around the country.
“The Colombian Navy will continue deploying all its capabilities to counter the scourge of drug trafficking structures that commit crimes in the Colombian Pacific,” the agency said, according to the NY Post.