Coast Guard Nabs Cocaine Submarine

http://news.aol.com/article...ine-submarine/177927

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Sept. 16) - The U.S. coast guard captured a submarine-like vessel equipped with sophisticated navigation equipment and stuffed with seven tons of cocaine, Costa Rican authorities said on Tuesday.
In a difficult nighttime operation during the weekend, U.S. officials arrested four Colombian smugglers on board the 59-foot steel and fiberglass vessel in international waters before they could sink it.
"The boat was partially submerged but you can't call it amateurish. The drug traffickers are not amateurs," Jose Pastor, a spokesman for Costa Rica's public security ministry told Reuters.
Several makeshift submarines toting drugs have been captured recently on the high seas. In July, the Mexican special forces captured a similar submarine carrying 200 tightly wrapped packages of cocaine.
On Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard sent a team of special agents on small boats to surprise the smugglers after a U.S. Navy airplane spotted the sub. When the traffickers realized the agents were on their deck they shifted the boat violently in an attempt to throw the officers into the sea.
After that failed, they complied with orders not to open hatches designed to sink the craft, said the Coast Guard.
"This was the most dangerous operation of my career," Todd Bagetis, the lieutenant in charge of the Coast Guard team, said in a statement.
Official photos showed the craft packed full of 37 bales of cocaine with a street value of $187 million.
The vessel was likely capable of traveling from South America to the U.S. coast without stopping for fuel or supplies, said the Coast Guard.
The U.S. ship that nabbed the traffickers was set to arrive to the Costa Rican port of Caldera on Wednesday with the drug boat in tow, Pastor said.
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Well, I doubt this will raise the price of cocaine on the street much but I'll bet it really ticked somebody off. That's a pretty big hit to the bottom line.

Way to go Coast Guard!!!

Ron

With the amount of raw money involved in illegal trafficking, I'm surprised that 'they' don't have nearly military grade subs.

quote Originally posted by dsnover: With the amount of raw money involved in illegal trafficking, I'm surprised that 'they' don't have nearly military grade subs.

They will have them as soon as Chavez gets his Russian subs.

quote Originally posted by dsnover: With the amount of raw money involved in illegal trafficking, I'm surprised that 'they' don't have nearly military grade subs.

They do. They are the ones not being caught.

quote Originally posted by User00013170: They do. They are the ones not being caught.

So true. See that was a decoy, so the bigger ones can get threw with even larger loads.

Thats just a small load. cost of doing buisness.

Steve

------------------
Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't.
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 09-17-2008).]

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: So true. See that was a decoy, so the bigger ones can get threw with even larger loads. Thats just a small load. cost of doing buisness. Steve

That could be true but, it also made the cost of doing business more expensive.

Just to be clear, the following is not meant to be directed at Steve.
I assume that for most of the Fiero community this is great news.
I know it's not welcome news by some but, again, I assume the majority of my Fiero brethren look at things from a positive point of view.
This is great news IMHO. It's all about perspective. From where I stand, I love it.
Wish I was young enough to participate in such adventures.
Though I really never liked going out that far away from solid earth.

Ron

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 09-17-2008).]

quote Originally posted by blackrams: I assume that for most of the Fiero community this is great news. I know it's not welcome news by some but, again, I assume the majority of my Fiero brethren look at things from a positive point of view.

Well, in a way, not great news to me. The illegalities of drugs is what causes crime. Making powerful cartels, causing corruption, sending people to jail for long terms which disrupt families and actually create an industry to deal with crime.
I say legalize it, tax it, and let Darwin figure it out.

I agree--and the more that die from it's use--the better. That way they won't be around to teach their children to use it.

quote Originally posted by cliffw: Well, in a way, not great news to me. The illegalities of drugs is what causes crime. Making powerful cartels, causing corruption, sending people to jail for long terms which disrupt families and actually create an industry to deal with crime. I say legalize it, tax it, and let Darwin figure it out.

Well, that's positive in a way.

Ron

Yeah, maybe legalizing Herion will take away the profitability of the drug trade for the Taliban.
Legal Drugs = Fighting Terrorism.

It's always interesting to hear about the ways they smuggle their drugs in. Some of the innovative minds could really do a lot if they were taken out of smuggling drugs and put to real humanitarian efforts.

quote Originally posted by USFiero: Yeah, maybe legalizing Herion will take away the profitability of the drug trade for the Taliban. Legal Drugs = Fighting Terrorism.

Not exactly. Heroin was banned under Taliban rule, they set their fields and labs on fire as well as jailing the farmers. In any case, most middle east opium is sold in Europe, not America.

quote Originally posted by cliffw: I say legalize it, tax it, and let Darwin figure it out.

I say if you're going to go through the trouble of legalizing and taxing drugs, you should tax religion while you're at it. "The Catholic church has more money than any Colombian cartel and left a lot more bodies in the wake" - Stanhope

[This message has been edited by IEatRice (edited 09-18-2008).]

quote Originally posted by cliffw: Well, in a way, not great news to me. The illegalities of drugs is what causes crime. Making powerful cartels, causing corruption, sending people to jail for long terms which disrupt families and actually create an industry to deal with crime. I say legalize it, tax it, and let Darwin figure it out.

Exactly, drugs being illegal is as effective as prohibition was. Creates a much larger problem, innocents die, and our tax dollars and police force are wasted. Unfortunely, its impossible to get past the 1950s sense of "morales". More like a perveted sense of self rightousness.
For something to be a crime it has to hurt another person. If you smoke pot, you are not hurting anyone but yourself, if it even does any real harm. The harder drugs also are a self inflicted ordeal, not a crime.
Yes, you can stretch it to say well it hurts families. That can be true, but alot of other choices you can make can hurt your family and they are not illegal. Such as eating hamburgers.
We do not need big brother telling us what we can and can not do, as long as it does not harm others.

Some interesting statistics...

Out of 14 million arrests last year, 1.9 million were for drug violations (#1 reason). Following that are DUI at 1.4 M, assault at 1.3M, larceny at 1.0M.

1 out of 4 persons incarcerated are due to nonviolent drug offenses. In other words, we are paying for housing, food, etc for 1 million(!) people because they were caught with drugs or drug paraphernalia (or tried to sell/buy drugs or drug paraphernalia).

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/correct.htm

Was banned from some forums suggesting its a waste of our resources to fight a war on drugs and prostitution. They cited morale values. I think it just makes them feel like a good person, no matter how much harm it does in reality. Neveada legalized prostitution, now pimps are hard pressed, girls are there because they like the money and not by force. STD checks are regular. The criminal element rmoved. Should be nationwide along with drugs.
The self rightous created prohibition, which brought the mafia to power, drive by shootings, mob wars, etc. Though the people felt good because they thought booze was evil. All the blood on those self rightous peoples hands.
Tired of the church pushing their agendas too, The bible says fornication? It was orignally defined as an unlawful sexual act. That is pretty vague. Is that anal sex? Is that c heating on your spouse? Is that any sex between unwed couples? It says nothing about drugs.

[This message has been edited by dennis_6 (edited 09-18-2008).]