Pubdate: Tue, 17 Jan 2012
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2012 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Jeff Davis, Ottawa Citizen 

FRIGATE HELPS RECOVER DRUG BOAT

Narco-Submarine Packed With Cocaine

A Canadian frigate has helped recover a sunken narco-submarine packed 
with cocaine from the Caribbean Sea floor.

The midget sub - discovered more than 900 metres under water - was 
stuffed with 6,700 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value 
of $180 million U.S.

"We made meaningful contributions to this operation, while working 
with several different nations and their government agencies to keep 
illicit drugs off North American streets," said Cmdr. Jamie Clarke, 
commanding officer of HMCS St. John's.

The semi-submersible vessel had been scuttled by its crew as 
authorities closed in.

Designed to elude radar and sonar, these sneaky drug boats skim along 
just below the waterline. They generally cannot dive, and must remain 
close to the surface to maintain air supply to the crew and engine.

Mini-submarines of this sort are an increasingly common method used by 
smugglers to transport cocaine from Central and South America to the 
United States. American officials reportedly now see over 10 enter the 
United States each month.

For nine days, the crew of St. John's provided medical evacuation 
support to the FBI laboratory's technical dive team, which conducted 
the dangerous undersea search for the sunken craft.

In the course of the mission, St. John's Sea King helicopter was 
called in to evacuate a sailor from the U.S. Coast Guard Ship Cypress 
back to the mainland.

HMCS St. John's was in the Caribbean as part of Operation CARIBBE, a 
U.S.-led, multinational effort to interdict drug trafficking in the 
international waters of the Caribbean Basin and eastern Pacific Ocean.

During the six-week operation, St. John's provided surveillance to the 
area, leaving law enforcement agencies free to locate and arrest drug 
smugglers.

While St. John's was in the Caribbean, the U.S. Coast Guard made 38 
arrests, and seized a total of 10,902 kg of cocaine and 1,144 kg of 
marijuana, equating to more than $223 million U.S.
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MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.