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According to
Reuters News Service, a Mexican navy plane spotted the 32-foot green (not yellow as might be hoped) submarine carrying what appeared to be cocaine about 140 miles south of the tourist resort of Huatullco. A three-hour chase ensued. According to Captain Benjamin Mar, a Navy spokesman:
The submarine traveled almost at the surface of the sea and when it came up we took advantage. Special forces troops swooped on the submarine from a helicopter and subdued the crew of four.
This encounter exemplifies the growing trend on the part of the Mexican government employing the military to fight drug smugglers who heretofore have been very successful in moving South American cocaine through Mexico and into the United States. Since Mexico’s new President, Felipe Calderon, took office in December of 2006, thousands of troops have been deployed to drug-trafficking hot spots.
Smugglers are a resilient lot, and authorities have seen drugs moved in Mexico though tunnels under the U.S. border and hidden in canned food and dolls. This is the first time a submarine has been used, but then, there’s a first time for everything, isn’t there!
Smugglers beware unless you can find The Beatles and hide out in their yellow submarine. The change in color is sure to fool the authorities!
