Organised crime
Narco-submarines, Cartels, Drug-trafficking and Corruption
January 15, 2021
Iñigo Camilleri De Castanedo
Why Does This Matter? Methods like tunnels, narco-planes, or mules have been employed by Drug Trafficking Organisations (DTO) and Cartels since the 1980s. The rise in the use of ‘narco-submarines’ since 1993 has been followed by a rise in narco-submarine seizures by law enforcement. With increasing efforts from law-enforcement to detect drug-trafficking flows, cartels have adapted their transportation methodology while maintaining elements of corruption and extortion: It is almost certain that submersible and semi-submersible…