Colombian officials are facing a disturbing new reality in the escalating drug war—self-guided narco submarines. Adm. Juan Ricardo Rozo Obregón, Colombia’s top sailor and commander of the Colombian navy, recently tugged on the service’s collective sleeve to warn about this new danger. He highlighted the unique dangers that unmanned vessels have in drug trafficking, particularly with the employment of semisubmersibles.
The problem is growing increasingly acute. Vernacular adaptation Along with excellent camouflage, the traffickers appear to be testing limits in how efficiently they can offload narco sub crews, according to Henry Shuldiner, an investigator at InSight Crime. Shuldiner co-authored a report detailing the proliferation of these high-speed ferry vessels. He added that this change would have a major effect on the illegal drug market.
In 2024, Colombian authorities intercepted a near-record number of low-profile narco submarines attempting to cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Interceptions, an indication of a much deeper problem, are at record highs and climbing. According to the United Nations, illegal coca leaf cultivation has increased by 204,000 hectares to 253,000 hectares in 2023.
Colombian law has a pretty severe penal approach to semisubmersibles. It establishes harsh penalties for their use, building, possession, and transport, with sentences up to 14 years in prison. This is not the first time traffickers have used crewed semisubmersibles to move their illicit cargoes. Today, the emergence of uncrewed vessels represents yet another new challenge for law enforcement agencies.
During the first half of 2025, the Colombian navy spotted as many as ten semisubmersibles on both sides of the continent. Unlike their predecessor, these vessels possess superb adaptations that allow them to avoid radar detection. They have evasive, quasi-independent governance, which increases their evasive capabilities for worrying and possibly even illegal cheating.
The fiscal side of creating a semisubmersible is just as impressive. Although some very low estimates put the cost at $150,000, the majority range from $1 million to $2 million. Even with these costs, traffickers aren’t shying away from sinking money into cutting-edge technology to further their efforts.
The recent Colombian navy seizure of an “autonomous semisubmersible” represents a new technological milestone in the fight against maritime crime. In addition to carrying over 1.5 tons of intercepted cocaine, this vessel was outfitted with antennas and a Starlink modem. U.S. officials suspect that this uncrewed submarine was out on a test run. They believe it was headed to cocaine markets in the United States or Europe.
“The discovery reflects a migration toward more sophisticated unmanned systems that increase evasion capabilities, and which pose a growing challenge to international maritime security,” – Adm Juan Ricardo Rozo Obregón
Yet experts such as Shuldiner stress the ever-changing landscape of trafficking operations. “It’s definitely a sign of how creative traffickers are becoming, and how ‘narco subs’ have evolved significantly in both design and technology,” he stated. He further cautioned that thousands of vessels still go undetected. According to some US officials, that means only about 5% of these vessels end up even being caught. So despite these record seizures in 2024, the vast majority continue to get past them.
Sergio Guzmán, director of Colombia Risk Analysis, echoed these concerns about law enforcement’s struggle to keep pace with traffickers. “The authorities are one step behind the criminals when it comes to these things.”
Juana Cabezas of Colombia’s Institute for Development and Peace Studies noted that Mexican drug cartels began recruiting such technology specialists and engineers as early as 2017. Their focus was on the creation of unmanned undersea vehicles. This trend reflects a years-long pivot from criminal organizations to innovate, adapt, and diversify their approaches.