### Colombian Navy Intercepts Narco-Sub Bound for Australia

The Colombian navy has successfully intercepted a semi-submersible vessel loaded with cocaine in the Pacific Ocean, as disclosed during a recent operation leading to numerous arrests. The vessel, equipped with enough fuel to reach Australia, is believed to be part of a newly established smuggling route.

According to Colombian security forces, smuggling cocaine to Australia is especially profitable, with a kilogram of the drug fetching up to $240,000 (£190,000) – six times the amount it would in the United States. The intercepted vessel is the third of its kind to be seized in the region, hinting at a new direct maritime route for drug gangs.

Australian citizens are the highest per capita users of cocaine globally, followed by those in Britain, as per the OECD. The latest interception occurred 1,200 miles southwest of Clipperton Island, an uninhabited French coral atoll in the Pacific. The boat, constructed from wood and fiberglass, is thought to have departed from the Colombian port of Tumaco, navigating thousands of miles before being stopped.

Vice-Admiral Orlando Enrique Grisales, the chief of naval operations staff for the Colombian Navy, reported that the three intercepted semi-submersibles were all capable of making the journey from Colombia to Australia without needing to refuel at sea. He explained that the first vessel was discovered in Colombian waters and, thanks to the maps it carried, they identified its route, prompting collaboration with Australian authorities.

The vessels were seized as part of "Orion," a multinational naval operation involving security forces from numerous countries. Over six weeks, Orion led to the seizure of 225 tonnes of cocaine and the arrest of more than 400 individuals across several nations. Vice-Admiral Grisales highlighted the close connections between drug trafficking gangs in South America and Oceania, which were exposed during the operation. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has praised the navy for its success in the initiative.