Spanish police are sinking plans for smugglers’ submarines

Spanish police say they have confiscated a domestic narcotics submarine capable of carrying up to 2 metric tons (2.2 tons) of cargo

MADRID – Spanish police said on Friday they had seized a homemade drug submarine capable of carrying up to 2 metric tons (2.2 tons) of cargo.

The 3-meter-wide (10-foot-wide) semi-submersible ship is made of fiberglass and plywood panels attached to a structural frame, has three portholes on one side and is painted light blue. It has two 200-horsepower engines operated from the inside.

Rafael Perez, the Spanish police chief, said the ship never sailed.

“It’s like an iceberg,” he said of the ship’s structure. “In practice, almost all of this sinks underwater, except for the peak, which is the only part of it that could be seen from another ship or helicopter.”

Similar drug trafficking vessels have been discovered in the past in the Atlantic Ocean, especially in Central and South America. They sit down in the water to escape detection and are rarely able to sink completely.

The larger police operation against the alleged international smuggling ring has placed hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, hashish and marijuana in various parts of Spain, with 52 people arrested.

Spanish police said in a statement that police in Colombia, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Portugal were also involved in the operation.

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