The Colombian Navy on Wednesday announced the seizure of an unmanned semi-submersible vessel designed for drug trafficking, the first discovery of its kind in the country’s waters. The low-profile craft was intercepted off the Caribbean coast near Santa Marta after being detected during a patrol in late June. Fitted with a Starlink satellite antenna, surveillance cameras and an automated navigation system, the remote-controlled boat can transport about 1.5 tonnes of cocaine, Admiral Juan Ricardo Rozo told reporters. Although the vessel carried no cargo when it was stopped, naval intelligence believes the Gulf Clan—Colombia’s largest trafficking organisation—was conducting sea trials ahead of operational use. Crewed “narco-subs” have long been a hallmark of cocaine routes from Colombia to Central America, the United States and Europe, but the advent of autonomous models complicates detection and removes the risk of crews being arrested. Colombian officials say at least ten similar drone craft have been spotted across the Americas so far this year, reflecting traffickers’ rapid technological escalation despite ongoing multinational interdiction efforts under Operation Orion.