The Colombian Navy has seized more than six tons of cocaine in Nariño, a department recognized as a major hub for coca cultivation in the country.
In footage shared on X, naval forces are seen intercepting a semi-submersible vessel—commonly called a “narco sub”—off Colombia’s Pacific coast. Officials also uncovered two underground drug caches containing roughly 270 kilograms of cocaine.
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En #Nariño, a bordo de un semisumergible y en dos caletas subterráneas, incautadas más de 6️⃣ toneladas de cocaína avaluadas en 3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ millones de dólares.
— Fuerza Naval del Pacífico (@FNP_ArmadaCol), May 24, 2025
Authorities said the semi-submersible carried three tons of cocaine, and the total street value of all seized narcotics is estimated at nearly $300 million. Officials have not disclosed arrests or the drugs’ intended destination.
“The National Navy reaffirms its commitment in the fight against drug trafficking and will continue to carry out large-scale operations against organized armed groups,” said Rear Admiral Camilo Mauricio Gutiérrez, commander of Colombia’s Pacific Naval Force.
Just one day earlier, the Navy intercepted another vessel carrying around three tons of cocaine, believed to be headed for Central America. That shipment had a street value of approximately $97 million, and three individuals were arrested.
Though often labeled “narco subs,” these low-profile vessels (LPVs) aren’t true submarines. They don’t fully submerge but instead skim just above the water, making them hard to detect. Built mainly from wood and fiberglass and painted to match the sea, they evade radar detection with ease.
According to the Colombian Navy’s International Center for Research and Analysis Against Maritime Drug Trafficking (CIMCON), building one of these LPVs costs about $150,000.
In 2024, authorities intercepted a near-record number of narco subs in the Atlantic and Pacific. These vessels are increasingly spotted in new maritime zones as traffickers expand their reach.
Most LPVs are constructed in secret, artisanal shipyards tucked away along Colombia’s remote Pacific coastline. InSight Crime revealed that over half of the 240 narco sub seizures it studied originated in these hidden yards.
CIMCON data from 2019 to 2023 shows that authorities located dozens of such shipyards, including 26 in Nariño, 10 in Cauca, and three each in Valle del Cauca and Chocó.
