New Law Counters the Semisubmersible Smuggling Threat

By Douglas A. Kash, J.D., and Eli White

During the past few years, the U.S. law enforcement and intelligence communities have seen the genesis and maturation of a relatively new technique for smuggling drugs into the country. Smugglers from South America have launched self-propelled semisubmersible (SPSS) vessels (alternatively referred to as a “low profile signature evading threat”) operated by a small crew carrying vast quantities of cocaine. These submersibles typically deliver drugs to other vessels at sea and then are scuttled after off-loading. Ultimately, the cargo is shipped via land routes into the United States. Indeed, in other applications, this method can potentially facilitate the covert delivery of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), terrorists, illegal aliens, and any other item or criminal small enough to fit in the vessel. One U.S. Coast Guard official has estimated that up to three SPSSs carry drugs along the Pacific coast each week. The existing Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) had not adequately addressed this new method of transporting narcotics. Therefore, new tools were needed to counter this emerging threat.

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http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/2010/march2010/smuggling_feature.htm