Drone Narco Sub With Starlink Antenna Captured In First For Colombian Navy
Source: Jalopnik
Drone Narco Sub With Starlink Antenna Captured In First For Colombian Navy
BY MATTHEW DEBORD JULY 7, 2025 1:25 PM EST
We can't stop talking about drones and how they are taking over everything from Ukrainian sneak attacks inside Russia to DoorDash deliveries in the U.S. It was only a matter of time before the drones got involved with drugs, but in an interesting twist, they've also gotten mixed up with Starlink, Elon Musk's space-based internet satellite service.
The Colombian navy has intercepted its first autonomous drone "narco" submarine, fitted out with a Starlink antenna, after years of chasing down manned subs crammed with cocaine. According to CBS News, the vessel was empty and the authorities think it was just being tested by a major drug cartel that has been secretly shipping dope in the Caribbean Sea, destined for Central America and Mexico. The captured sub could carry an estimated 1.5 tons of blow.
Colombia has encountered unmanned narco subs before, but this latest craft appears to be setting a new standard for tech. It's certainly a far cry from the manned subs that we've grown accustomed to, which as CBS News noted are notorious death traps. It's not a first for Starlink, however, the news outlet reported: a whopping $4.25 billion in meth was seized on a ship near India last year, and the boat was being operated remotely using a Starlink connection.
Calling these things "subs" is a bit of a stretch. They're really more like partially sunk homemade skiffs, difficult to spot in open water. They are evidently pretty seaworthy, however, leaving the littoral coasts and striking out for the blue ocean expanses of the Atlantic and Pacific. Getting human drug runners out of the picture is desirable for the cartels, CBS News reports, because if the shipment is captured, there are no thugs to interrogate about the criminal cargo. Recruiting sailors for the hastily built crafts is also reportedly a challenge, and we can't say we're shocked.
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read more: https://www.jalopnik.com/1905352/drone-narco-sub-found-using-starlink/