Submarine, homemade and cocaine-laden, is seized off Mexico

The nation's drug wars sank to new depths Wednesday as the Mexican navy announced it had seized a submarine that was transporting cocaine off the southern coast.

The navy intercepted the 33-foot vessel about 125 miles south of Puerto de Salina Cruz in Oaxaca state.

Jose Luis Vergara, a navy spokesman, said in a radio interview that special forces waited until the vessel surfaced before rappelling from helicopters and overpowering the four-man crew.

Read more about the drug trafficker's submarine here.

See the latest on Mexico's drug trade here.

-- Deborah Bonello in Los Angeles

Photo: Mexican navy sailors ride on top of a seized drug smuggling submarine as it was being towed by a navy ship off the coast of the Pacific resort city of Huatulco, Mexico. Credit: Miguel Angel Tovar / Associated Press

Comments

[Rita]

What a waste! Can you imagine building a submarine? Or a miles-long tunnel under the border? Instead of arresting these geniuses, the Mexican government should HIRE them; maybe they could figure out how to pull the country out of poverty.