Semi-subs Becoming Drug, Security Risk

KEY WEST, Fla. -- Drug-smuggling semi-submersible vessels could also become a means of bringing weapons into the United States, counter-terrorism experts fear.

The low-riding boats have been detected by the U.S. Coast Guard at least 27 times this year, more than the previous six years combined. Far more are believed to have gone undetected, The Boston Globe reported Sunday.

Their sleek design, quiet diesel engines, ballast configuration and use of special materials make the vessels difficult to detect by sight or radar. Experts believe most are being constructed by Colombian drug cartels but may be receiving help, via Russian gangsters, of that country's submarine technology.

More concerning is the possibility the semi-submersibles might take on new cargoes in the future.

In a recent military journal article, Navy Adm. James Stavridis, commander of the U.S. Southern Command, warned, "If drug cartels can ship up to 10 tons of cocaine in a semi-submersible, they can clearly ship or rent space to a terrorist organization for a weapon of mass destruction or a high-profile terrorist."