5 tons of drugs seized from submarine in Bocas

More than 5 tones of drugs were seized off the coast of Bocas del Toro Panama, when authorities found a semi-submersible vessel while patrolling the ocean in region last month.

Officers with Panama’s National Aeronaval Service explained that they were doing a routine patrol in the country’s territorial waters when the spotted what appeared to be a "homemade" vessel in the ocean near the province of Bocas del Toro.

Authorities seized more than 5 tons of drugs from inside the vessel and followed up with the arrest of four Colombian citizens.
While it has not been stated the type of drugs that were seized in the raid, smugglers have previously been caught using similar vessels to transport cocaine into the United States and Europe. 

According to officials these types of submarines are difficult to detect without prior intelligence or aircraft to spot them from above.