This Is How Narco Submarines Are Hunted By The U.S. Military

Narco submarines are often detected by unseen eyes (and ears) long before they are interdicted by U.S. Coast Guard or U.S. Navy ships H I Sutton (Insert from CBP)

Forbes: 5 Ways The Military Hunts Narco Submarines You Don’t Hear About

When the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard interdict a narco submarine, it can make headlines. The ship which makes the interception naturally gets credit, but there can be helpers. As U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) ramps up the fight against drug smuggling in the Pacific and Caribbean under the Enhanced Counter-Narcotics Operations initiative, these hidden assets will continue to play a major role. These unseen eyes, and ears, are often not reported or overlooked when the news breaks, so let’s take a quick look.

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WNU Editor:The equipment that the U.S. has that detects these subs must be incredible.

U.S. Navy Shows It Is Capable Of Spotting Narco Submarines

The Narco Submarine was actually a low-profile vessel (LPV). It is relatively fast and hard to detect but the military-grade sensors on U.S. Navy aircraft and warships reduce the odds of them completing their voyage. H I Sutton (Photo USCG)

Forbes: Navy Makes Important Narco Submarine Capture

The narco-submarine may not have been expecting a guided missile destroyer to be bearing down on it. Until April this year, U.S. Navy warships were less often involved in drug submarine busts on the high seas. But the Trump administration’s new enhanced counter-narcotics operations has changed that, as a narco-sub found out on May 14. This may mark the start of a new age in narco-submarine interdiction.

Despite its inherent stealthiness the vessel was detected by a P-8 Poseidon from the VP-26 ‘Tridents’ squadron of the U.S. Navy. A destroyer, USS Pinckney, with a U.S. Coast Guard team aboard, then moved into position to intercept it. The destroyer’s SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters and fast boats made the interdiction. This was the first reported narco-sub seizure since President Trump announced 'enhanced counter-narcotics operations' on April 1.

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WNU Editor: The U.S. will need to do more than intercepting a few narco-subs here and there to make a difference in the drug trade.

Colombia's Rebel Groups Join Together To Protect Their Drug Trade

War On Drugs Hit By Rebel Peace Deal -- The Scotsman

TWO once-bitter enemies in Colombia have stopped their war and teamed up in the interests of the drugs trade, flooding Venezuela with cocaine that finds its way to Europe and the UK.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) have been fighting for 45 years to install a socialist regime. Over the past 20 years, the group has also been battling right-wing paramilitaries for control of the country's drug crops.

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My Comment: It seems that drug profits has become more important than revolution.

Panama Could Become Next Narco Battleground

Photo from First Magazine

From The L.A. Times:

FARC insurgents are increasingly crossing the border from Colombia. Authorities fear that they will spread the drug violence that has convulsed parts of Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.

Reporting from El Real, Panama -- The heavily armed rebels usually show up in groups of 20 or more, dressed in green fatigues and seeking food.

"Of course you have to give it to them," said one resident of this isolated village 35 miles west of the Colombian border. "People don't like that they're here, but with few police and many informants around, they keep quiet."

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My Comment: How to define a cancer .... the spread of drug cartels and narco violence.

Colombia’s Gains Are America’s, Too

Colombian marines check cocaine packs at the Caribbean city of Cartagena, Colombia October 2, 2007. Colombian navy seized 2.2 tons of cocaine on Tuesday, officials said.

From The New York Times:

THE dramatic rescue of 15 hostages this month by Colombia’s special forces underscored how far Colombia has progressed — with the strong support of the United States — from a nation under siege by narcoterrorists and paramilitary vigilantes to one poised to become a linchpin of security and prosperity in South America.

As we meet today in Washington to discuss the United States-Colombia security relationship, we want to take stock of what has been gained over the past decade and commit our two nations to continue this progress.

The remarkable transformation of the security situation in Colombia can be credited in large part to the improvement in the capacity of its military and police — an improvement in which American security assistance has played a key role. The governments of both nations agree that this assistance should continue until the job is finished. Furthermore, we should also increase trade and investment by moving forward on the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement that is now before Congress. Growing prosperity and better standards of living are indispensable to achieving lasting stability in both countries.

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My Comment: The U.S. and Colombia's Secretary of Defence write a very compelling piece in yesterday's New York Times. But Colombia's underlying problem is the narco-trade, and as long as the U.S. and the rest of the world has a hunger for cocaine Colombia's insurgency problem will always be there.