Cocaine Drug Submarine

US Border Patrol agents spotted three plastic pipes skimming along the ocean's surface some 300 miles from Costa Rica. Suspicions aroused, they discovered a semi-submersible homemade submarine trying to sneak its way through international waters at a speed of seven miles-per-hour. The US Coast Guard, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Columbian officials were called in to intercept the vessel. When the four-man crew realized the game was up, they strapped on their life perservers and tried to flood the ship.

However, officials were able to recover 11 bales of cocaine; estimates have the total payload at five tons and valued at over $350 million. The four men were arrested and each was issued an ever-fashionable orange jumpsuit.

While drug smugglers are using more and more sophisticated means to get their goods into the US, a Customs and Border Patrol representative told us that using submarines was relatively uncommon. "There have been recorded cases involving these sorts of vessels, but they are extremely rare."

So far this year, the Border Patrol has confiscated more than 32 tons of cocaine with a street value of $2,200,000,000; that's $2.2 billion if you're having trouble with all those zeros. Now that's a lot of blow.

Last March, the Coast Gaurd made the largest maritime bust in history, intercepting a Panamanian ship carrying 20 tons of cocaine.