The Colombian navy has seized a submarine hidden in a jungle area, believed to have been built to carry up to eight tons of cocaine to Mexico.

The 31-meter-long vessel was found on Monday in Timbiqui, in south-western Colombia, and is capable of travelling 9 meters below water, navy officials said.
The homemade submarine, which was one of the most sophisticated and biggest ever found, could carry four people and up to eight tons of cargo, and was ready to launch, the officials added. 

"It is the first submersible to be seized in the country," said General Jaime Herazo. 

Herazo believes that the ship belongs to "narco-traffickers coupled with narco-terrorists, who received a heavy blow [due to its capture]." 

Commander of the Pacific Naval Force, Adm. Hernando Wills Velez, said the submarine was equipped with professional navigational equipments, which would have allowed the crew to sail as far as Mexico.


Officials estimated the cost of the vessel at over USD 2 million. 

Two weeks ago, the Colombian navy seized a boat carrying over a ton of cocaine along the Pacific coast of Choco Province. 

Drug traffickers often use the dense jungle areas to launch boats loaded with drugs heading for Panama and beyond. source