Colombian navy seizes semi-submersible craft carrying tonnes of cocaine, finds two bodies

Colombian Navy announced on Sunday (March 12) that a semi-submersible vessel with two dead bodies and nearly three tonnes of cocaine on board was seized in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the country.

In a statement, the Colombian Navy mentioned that they also found two surviving crew members, who are "in poor health". They were given medical attention to save their lives.

The Navy informed that "apparently there was an accident inside the semi-submersible vessel due to the generation of toxic gases from fuel".

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Captain Cristian Andres Guzman Echeverry said in a video released by the navy: "These people's poor health state is presumably due to the inhalation of toxic fumes caused by fuel problems inside the boat."

The Navy added in its statement: "With this operational deployment that had foreign support, more than $87 million dollars were prevented from entering the financial structures of drug trafficking organisations that commit crimes in the Colombian Pacific and more than six million doses from circulating in the international illegal market."

It mentioned: "The Colombian Navy will continue deploying all its capabilities to counter the scourge of drug trafficking structures that commit crimes in the Colombian Pacific."

The submersible vessel, the rescued people, the bodies, and the shipment were escorted by the navy to a port at Tumaco in southwestern Colombia, near the border with Ecuador. Navy officials said the shipment of drugs was headed to Central America.

(With inputs from agencies)

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