In the middle of the night and in adverse weather and sea conditions, units of the Colombian Navy, with the support of a U.S. aircraft, intercepted a semisubmersible in the Colombian Pacific carrying 2,276 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride. The illegal vessel, the first semisubmersible intercepted this year, was manned by two Colombians and one Ecuadorian, the Colombian Navy said in a statement.
“There was prior knowledge of possible transport of drugs from a specific sector of the Colombian South Pacific, in the Nariño department,” Colombian Navy Captain Julián Mauricio Díaz Barragán, commander of the Tumaco Coast Guard Station, told Diálogo about the early February operation. “Coordination began from the Pacific Naval Force in Bahía Málaga to have other capabilities that would allow us to increase this effort and possibly be able to detect this device that we already knew was going to be launched.”
This was how the Colombian Navy obtained aircraft support from Joint Interagency Task Force South, under U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), to monitor a specific area from the air, said Capt. Díaz. “At the same time, a Rapid Reaction Unit (RRU) of the Tumaco Coast Guard was also moving toward the area of maritime operations, so that if it were detected from the air, they could guide the coast guard unit to the maritime interdiction.”
According to the Navy, during the interdiction, the illegal artefact suffered mechanical failures, preventing its navigation and causing it to sink on the spot.
Drug trafficking poses significant challenges to the authorities in the South Pacific, an area of more than 97,200 square kilometers, under the responsibility of the Tumaco Coast Guard Station. “Vessels loaded with drugs leave the coasts, from the rivers, and this geographical area of the South Pacific is very rich in tributaries, that is, there are many exits, many river mouths, Capt. Díaz said. “So narcotrafficking organizations take advantage of this to hide, to avoid detection.”
Despite these challenges, six semisubmersibles were seized in 2023 and two in 2024. At the time of writing, in 2025, authorities had already intercepted two artefacts and more than 50 tons of cocaine. “This is thanks not only to Colombia’s operational efforts, but also to the multinational Orion strategy, which allows other countries to participate in the fight against narcotrafficking. And this allows us to work, all countries hand in hand, toward the same goal,” Capt. Díaz added, underlining the support of countries of the region and the United States.
For example, in 2024, the U.S. government donated a fuel station to the Tumaco Coast Guard Station through the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), Capt. Díaz said. “It allows us to strengthen our logistics supply capacity for the coast guard and marine infantry units,” he said. “The United States also continuously supports us with donations of other types of material to keep the Coast Guard RRU in service and be able to count on that capacity for interdiction at sea.”
Long-standing cooperation
For decades, the Colombian Military Forces have maintained a close bilateral cooperation relationship in security and defense with their U.S. counterparts and other U.S. security agencies, Colombian Navy Vice Admiral Orlando Grisales Franceschi, chief of Naval Operations, told Diálogo. These have served to strengthen capabilities and coordinate efforts to jointly face a wide spectrum of challenges that threaten common interests in the region, such as transnational criminal organizations and humanitarian crises caused by natural or anthropic events.
“In the fight against narcotrafficking, Joint Interagency Task Force South has been an indispensable ally. During 2024, more than 500 tons of cocaine were seized in coordinated operations, of which around 80 percent were achieved thanks to intelligence information provided by the Colombian Navy,” Vice Adm. Grisales said. “All this, together with the integration of efforts and capabilities within the framework of initiatives such as the Orion Multinational Strategy, demonstrates Colombia’s commitment in contributing to the stability of the region. Cooperation is our best defense and the way to maintain regional security and stability.”
With the help of SOUTHCOM, some 35 transnational criminal organizations have been identified as being involved in the illicit trafficking of drugs, people, arms, flora and fauna, logging, mining, illegal fishing, and smuggling and counterfeiting of goods, among other activities, Vice Adm. Grisales said. “Several of these, directly linked to organized armed groups in Colombia, including the [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia] FARC dissidents and the National Liberation Army.”
As such, the Colombian Military Forces seek to continuously prepare and strengthen the capabilities of its troops to be able to interoperate at any given time. For instance, during 2024, Colombian troops took part in SOUTHCOM-sponsored training and exercises, such as FUSED RESPONSE, PANAMAX, and UNITAS, which seek to provide opportunities for nations to work together.
“[There was also] technological progress in the fight against crime, in coordination with the U.S. 4th Fleet [U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command],” Vice Adm. Grisales said, mentioning results in other areas that directly impact the security, stability, and prosperity of the region. “We are operating with a hybrid fleet made up of unmanned ships and systems, as well as artificial intelligence tools, to strengthen maritime domain awareness and combat different criminal activities at sea, such as illicit drug trafficking and IUU fishing, among others.”
“The threats and challenges that the world presents us with today require collective action between allies. The armed forces of Colombia and the United States have demonstrated that they have the iron will and the capabilities to generate favorable conditions for economic development and regional prosperity,” Vice Adm. Grisales concluded. “The power of cooperation will enable us to unlock the great potential of our region. United by the same territory, guided by common values, and committed to a common purpose, we will achieve a better and safer future for all.”
