Authorities seize “narco sub” in South American jungle and illegal drugs, chemicals worth $1.6 billion

Authorities in Guyana seized a semisubmersible vessel that was being used for drug trafficking through one of the nation’s jungles, Interpol said. The seizure was part of a wider operation to crack down on trafficking and theft in more than two dozen countries, according to the police organization. 

Interpol said the homemade “narco sub” intercepted in Guyana was capable of transporting as much as 3 tons of cocaine at a time, and warned that traffickers in the region can steer semisubmersibles like that one through the rivers of South America before crossing the Atlantic Ocean and eventually arriving in Western Europe. 

The “narco sub” was seized along with 615 tons of illegal drugs and 505 tons of precursor chemicals worth $1.6 billion, as well as 65 stolen cars, in 31 different nations, Interpol said. The international law enforcement agency coordinated the effort, called Operation Lionfish Hurricane, between April and May in a push to address drug trafficking networks across South America, Africa and Europe. 

Their operation led to 206 arrests, according to Interpol. Authorities confiscated more than 56 tons of cocaine and 52 tons of other drugs, including marijuana, ketamine and tramadol, a prescription opioid that is strictly regulated in a number of countries because of the high risk it carries for abuse and dependence. The United Nations has noted a sharp rise in tramadol smuggling in various parts of the world over the last decade or so.

Precursor chemicals can be used to manufacture explosives in addition to drugs. In a statement, Interpol said the massive amount seized over the course of the operation was unprecedented, and “highlights the significant growth of transnational organized crime groups, and their ability to make weapons.”

“The value of drugs seized in this two-month operation is higher than the GDP of some countries, which clearly shows the scale of the problem facing law enforcement,” said Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock in a statement. “Organized crime networks continue to expand their reach and the devastating consequences their activities bring. We will, and must, unite our efforts to combat this national security threat which threatens every country.”

“Narco subs” are semisubmersible vessels, mainly associated with drug cartels based in Central or South America that operate internationally. Earlier this summer, the Colombian Navy said it seized two of the vehicles off the country’s Pacific coast that together contained almost 5 tons of cocaine and were routing toward Central America. Colombian authorities said at the time that officers had intercepted 13 of the subs so far in 2024 after intercepting 20 of the semisubmersibles in 2023. Last year’s narco sub seizures included 30 tons of cocaine and more than 5 tons of marijuana, the authorities said.