Drug smuggling

Completely New Type Of Narco Submarine Discovered In The Atlantic

The Atlantic narco-submarine scene is intensifying. On August 27 Spanish police, once again, captured a completely new type drug smuggling vessel. It is only the third so-called ‘narco sub’ found in Spain, but like the previous two it is particularly unusual. Spanish smugglers do things their own way, creating very different vessels than their Latin American counterparts. This new type is known locally as a Ghost Glider (planeadora fantasma).

So-called narco submarines are purpose designed boats intended to hide low in the water to avoid detection. Very few can actually submerge, but the name fits. This one appears to be a hybrid of what we call a Low Profile Vessel (LPV) and a traditional go-fast vessel (GFV). It doesn’t appear to sit as low in the water as most others, but has other trappings of narco-subs, notably the custom deck and cockpit. These can be seen in this photo gallery by the Faro de Vigo (in Spanish).