A 15-meter-long “narco-sub,” the first detected this year, was seized in Colombian waters, with an estimated haul worth $27 million. The submarine, intercepted in the Pacific Ocean, was believed to be en route to the US or Europe. Three individuals onboard, along with packages of cocaine hydrochloride marked with scorpion images or labeled “Winnie” and “Carnal,” were arrested and taken to Buenaventura, a Colombian port city. The Colombian Navy prevented nearly $27 million from entering drug trafficking organizations and disrupting the distribution of about two million doses globally. Narco-subs are favored for drug transport due to their ability to go undetected; they are often homemade using materials like fiberglass and plywood. Colombia, the world’s largest cocaine producer, has seen significant interceptions by its navy, including 30 tonnes of cocaine and over five tonnes of marijuana in 2023. In May of the previous year, the largest narco-sub ever recorded in Colombia, measuring 100 feet in length and 10 feet in width, was intercepted with three tonnes of cocaine. Despite these efforts, the UN reported a record cocaine production in Colombia in 2022, with coca leaf cultivation spreading over 230,000 hectares. Additionally, Belgium seized a record amount of cocaine at the port of Antwerp, Europe’s main gateway for the drug shipped from South America.