U. S. Coast Guard crew of C-130 Hercules nabs drug sub in Western Caribbean. (With Video)

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MIAMI, FL - The U.S. Coast Guard stopped a drug-smuggling submarine in the Western Caribbean earlier this month.

The crew of a C-130 Hercules plane spotted the self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) vessel on September 17th.

They radioed the crew of the Cutter Mohawk, which tracked down the drug sub and detained its crew.

The Coast Guard was able to seize some cocaine from the vessel before it sank – part of the sinking was captured on video.

Both the drugs and the crew were turned over to federal law enforcement.

It's only the second drug sub incident in the Western Caribbean. Coast Guard officials say the subs are usually built in the jungles of South America and normally less than 100 feet long.

They typically carry four or five crew members and can haul up to 10 metric tons of cargo up to 5,000 miles.

They're also built to be quickly sunk at the first sight of law enforcement, making recovery of the cargo difficult.

The SPSS vessels are commonly used in the Eastern Pacific to smuggle drugs, according to the Coast Guard.

"The use of self propelled semi-submersibles is relatively new in the Caribbean so it's a serious operational challenge for the cutter fleet, Cmdr. Mark Fedor, Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk's commanding officer, said in a written statement.

"They are a significant threat to our nation and our friends throughout Central and South America because they can smuggle massive amounts of narcotics as well as other illicit goods or people. I am proud of my crew for stepping up to this challenge. Through their professionalism and courage, we were able to stop millions of dollars of cocaine from reaching the streets of America. That's why we're out here."
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