Colombia buys German submarines in anti-drug war

Colombia is ratcheting up its war on sea-faring drug traffickers and has invested in German submarines and marine craft in a boost to its navy.

Sea-borne narcotics cargo bound for North America is a growing problem in Central and South America as organized and well-resourced drug gangs deploy submersible craft and other sea-borne vessels to transport contraband.

Mexico's crackdown on drug cartels led to organized drug gangs spilling over in the Caribbean, Central and South America, a threat Colombia wants to confront head-on.

New Colombian defense purchases include vessels for a gradual modernization of the navy, increasingly in the frontline of attack on drug cartels.

Two existing U209/1200 Class submarines, ARC Pijao and ARC Tayrona, are being modernized at the state-owned ship at Cartagena. These will be joined by another two German U206A submarines that generated interest in Thailand and other countries that originally planned to buy them.

The U206s are critical to Colombia's fight against the drug gangs' semi-submersible vessels.