Colombia intercepts 6 drug submarines bound for Australia

Six “narco subs” filled with cocaine and other drugs were found en route to Australia by a team of international authorities led by Colombia.

A team of more than 60 countries, including the US, Brazil, Spain and the Netherlands, worked together to find the submarines that departed from Colombia. Altogether, the subs contained more than 1,400 tons of illicit drugs, including 225 tons of cocaine and 128 tons of marijuana.

“This is perhaps the largest seizure of cocaine in transit made by Colombia in history,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro said.

Operation “Orion” was carried out between October 1 and November 14, said Vice Admiral Orlando Enrique Grisales, chief of naval operations staff for the Colombian Navy. The subs used are “increasingly sophisticated” and can travel 10,000 miles without refueling.

The operation has helped authorities learn of a new route in the Pacific from South America to Australia. Authorities say this seizure will cause drug cartels to lose more than $8.4 billion.

Officials also seized a semisubmersible on its way to Australia with five tons of cocaine from Colombia. The vessel was made of wood and fiberglass.

"It is a route that is becoming increasingly profitable because prices are much higher in Australia," a security expert said.

"Initially, these boats were used mainly to take the drugs out of the country and move them off the coast of Colombia and then transfer them to ships," they added. "It has been found that these semisubmersibles, sometimes even submersibles, are now increasingly sophisticated, with very fine engineering."

Australian authorities say they’re concerned about drug cartels increasingly targeting the country. Australia has seen a surge in cocaine use, along with record-high prices which may be driving the upward trend.