CRIME Drone “narco sub” — equipped with Starlink antenna — seized for the first time in the Caribbean
Updated on: July 3, 2025 / 6:29 AM EDT / CBS/AFP
The Colombian navy on Wednesday announced its first seizure of an unmanned “narco sub” equipped with a Starlink antenna off its Caribbean coast.
The semisubmersible vessel was not carrying drugs, but the Colombian navy and Western security sources based in the region told AFP they believed it was a trial run by a cocaine trafficking cartel.
“It was being tested and was empty,” a naval spokeswoman confirmed to AFP.
Manned semi-submersibles built in clandestine jungle shipyards have been used for decades to ferry cocaine north from Colombia, the world’s biggest cocaine producer, to Central America or Mexico.
I moved to the Caribbean for a few years a while ago and I wanted to do something meaningful.
I saw that the trade between islands was quite low despite being very close, a lot of businesses are struggling because they lack the economy of scale that inter-island trade could bring.
Since it’s low volume it’s quite expensive and slow to move stuff between islands the traditional way (container)
So I thought that a small autonomous cargo boat going between islands would be a great idea !
I was quickly told that it was a terrible idea unless I wanted to be “recruited” by a cartel.