The semi-submersible ship and its cargo of drugs are in Manta

Image: El Universo

The semi-submersible ship loaded with about 3 tons of drugs, that was intercepted last Thursday 380 miles from Manta, arrived yesterday to this port, almost at 09:00, towed by a ship of the Coastguard of the Ecuadorian Navy, arrived too. Three crew members of Colombian origin, who are detained, arrived too.

The Navy and the National Police, in coordination with their counterparts from Colombia and the DEA, the US anti-drug agency, followed the track of the ship, of which evidence was found on Tuesday 15. At the port, the prosecution of Manabi undertook the proceedings.

Eduardo Charry, naval attaché of Colombia in Ecuador, said that the semi- submersible would have departed from the Cabo Manglares port, in the Nariño district. He described that this area is hard to access and hard to track, because its extension is 251,000 ha.

The sea route followed by the ship indicates it sought to refuel near Galapagos and set off to El Salvador or Honduras, in Central America.

Hugo Alvarez, regional director of Aquatic Spaces, said the the boat was sailing in a zigzag to avoid being detected and the cargo would be valued at $ 120 or $ 150 million.

Source: http://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2015/12/22/nota/5311548/manta-esta-semisumergible-su-carga-droga