Colombian Drug Traffickers Indicted in New York for Narco-Submarine Cocaine Smuggling Operation
A Colombian crew involved in trafficking drugs via narco-submarines has been apprehended, and a grand jury in New York has indicted them. The charges stem from their alleged use of a fleet of submarines to transport over 5,000 kilograms of cocaine to the United States. Federal officials announced the development on Thursday, highlighting the ongoing battle against international drug trafficking networks.
The six-man crew, comprised of Colombian nationals ranging in age from 39 to 68, represents the latest group to face indictment for utilizing narco-submarines. These vessels, often described as handcrafted, are not true submarines in the traditional sense. Instead, they typically have a portion of the vehicle extending above the water’s surface. However, they are ingeniously camouflaged, making them difficult to detect by naval patrols. This has made them a prominent tool in the international drug trade, enabling the delivery of cocaine shipments worth tens of millions of dollars per vessel.
Colombian authorities brought the crew’s high-seas operation to a halt with their arrest on Wednesday. The individuals are expected to be extradited to New York City, where they will face legal proceedings.
"With today’s arrests, the defendants’ conspiracy has been torpedoed," stated John J. Durham, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He emphasized the U.S.’s unwavering stance against the export and distribution of dangerous drugs within its borders. Durham asserted his office’s commitment to prosecuting the defendants in a federal courtroom in Brooklyn, ensuring they are held accountable for their alleged crimes.
Federal authorities revealed that the crew utilized the vessels to transport drugs from Colombia to Central America and regions of Mexico controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel. In 2023, they were apprehended on two separate occasions while carrying thousands of kilograms of cocaine aboard submarines destined for the U.S. These interceptions occurred "within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the United States," according to the indictment.
The crew members have been identified as Elkin Armando Alomia Quinones, 39; Diego Luis Obregon Aguirre, 46; Edwin Obregon Castro, 40; Juan Matias Obregon Castro, 48; Rodrigo Obregon Saavedra, 68; and Narjel Paredes, 55. If convicted, they face the possibility of life imprisonment.
Michael Alfonso, the acting special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New York, remarked on the crew’s apparent ingenuity, stating, "Their ill-intended ingenuity knows no bounds." He also emphasized the collective strength and adaptability of the U.S. federal law enforcement system, which has once again disrupted a dangerous drug trafficking organization allegedly aligned with cartels.
The investigation into the Colombian crew involved the collaboration of authorities worldwide. Drug Enforcement Agency teams in New York, Bogota, Puerto Rico, and Madrid played a role, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Puerto Rico and the Cuerpo Técnico de Investigación, a Colombian agency akin to the FBI.
According to federal authorities, the Colombian crew conducted their maritime operation from Colombia’s Pacific coast. Colombia has been the world’s leading cocaine producer since the era of Pablo Escobar, the notorious drug lord, with the majority of production originating from the country’s Pacific region.
Facilitating the transportation of drugs from their production location to various parts of the world requires a highly sophisticated organization. Federal authorities stated that the Colombian crew’s operation encompassed diverse elements, from financial investors providing capital for engineering the vessels to a network of spies disguised as fishermen.
These sham fishermen were strategically positioned along the narco-submarine routes to alert the crews of any law enforcement vessels patrolling the waters. This information comes from the Justice Department.
Federal court filings indicate that the crew’s operation spanned from January to October 2023. They were intercepted twice during that year with drugs on the vessels "within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the United States," according to the indictment. Authorities seized 2,312 kilograms of cocaine on June 27 and 3,300 kilograms on October 7.
The use of clandestine vessels for smuggling illegal goods dates back to the Prohibition era, when moonshine submarines operated on the Mississippi River. It is suspected that drug traffickers began adopting narco-submarines in the late 1980s, when U.S. authorities intensified their efforts to combat the powerboats and low-flying aircraft used to transport drugs at the time.
By 2009, law enforcement authorities estimated that over a third of the drugs smuggled into the U.S. were transported via submersibles, according to the Washington Post.
Narco-submarine technology is continuously improving, with the most advanced vessels capable of carrying over a dozen tons of cocaine, valued at tens of millions of dollars. Some even make journeys to Europe.
These vessels are typically handcrafted from fiberglass and painted in ocean colors to evade detection. They are hermetically sealed, equipped with diesel or electric engines, and either self-propelled or crewed by individuals who ensure the drugs reach their intended destinations.
Mario Pazmiño, former chief of intelligence for the Ecuador Army and a security analyst, explained that these vessels possess two important characteristics: "Their profiled displacement on the coast makes them much less detectable due to their appearance," and they can transport "large volumes of drugs quickly."
For years, these vessels have facilitated the expansion of business for producers in Colombia and Ecuador, allowing them to reach major distributors in Mexico, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
The indictment and arrest of the Colombian crew are the latest success in American officials’ efforts to combat narco-submarine trafficking.
Many of the recent federal cases originate from the Middle District of Florida. Henry Aguirre-Valois was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for trafficking $75 million worth of cocaine aboard a narco-submarine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa. The Colombian national and his three-man crew were intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard off the coast of Ecuador in international waters while carrying 2,500 kilograms of cocaine, which is almost 1,000 kilograms less than the amount seized from the six-man Colombian crew in October 2023.
American authorities also target individuals who receive the vessels. Eliezer De Leon-Lopez, a Guatemalan man known as "Wiro Loco," faces a potential life sentence after pleading guilty to receiving cocaine shipments sent aboard narco-submarines crewed by Colombians, according to federal officials in Florida.
U.S. authorities sentenced the Colombian "Prince of Semi-Submersibles" to 20 years in prison in 2023. Oscar Adriano Quintero Rengifo was known for developing a business that involved transporting drugs from Colombia to Guatemala, where he became a mayor, and ultimately to cartels in Mexico.
From at least January 2015 through September 2019, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted at least four vessels, including two semi-submersibles, directly linked to Quintero Rengifo’s organization. These interceptions involved more than 13,000 kilograms of cocaine, according to prosecutors.
The ongoing efforts to combat narco-submarine trafficking underscore the complex challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in their fight against international drug trafficking networks. The sophistication of these operations, coupled with the constant adaptation of tactics by drug traffickers, requires continuous innovation and collaboration among authorities around the world. The recent arrests and indictments serve as a reminder of the U.S.’s commitment to disrupting these networks and holding those involved accountable for their crimes.
