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Large-scale smuggling is highly professionalised and hugely lucrative. We're not talking about some guy with a boat, we're talking about an organisation that ri

Large-scale smuggling is highly professionalised and hugely lucrative. We're not talking about some guy with a boat, we're talking about an organisation that rivals a multinational corporation by almost any metric. One of the biggest exporters of cocaine in recent years was FARC, a Columbian rebel group that acted as the de-facto government of large areas of Columbia. Their operation was sufficiently sophisticated that they built their own submarines. If you're part of an armed rebel group engaged in a brutal civil war, being arrested for drug trafficking isn't anywhere near your biggest worry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narco-submarine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narco-submarine At this scale, individual psychology isn't particularly relevant. It's a self-reinforcing culture of drugs, violence and obscene amounts of money that subsumes individuals. You might as well ask about the individual psychology of an infantry sergeant in the second world war - his mindset is a product of the war, not vice-versa.

dmos62 7y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narco-submarine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narco-submarine Just to make clear, makeshift submarine smuggling is not a new phenomenon. One was found abandoned in 1988, first one to be seized was in 2006, and, "by 2009, the U.S.A. detected as many as 60 narco submarine related events". "The narco-submarines can cost about $2 million USD and take upward of a year to build.[16] Despite the costs, some of the craft are intended for one-time use, being abandoned at sea after a successful delivery. After all, their cargoes carry a street value of up to $400 million. On other seized craft however, officials found zinc bars used as sacrificial anodes, reducing corrosion on metal parts exposed to seawater.[17] As corrosion would not be a concern on a single trip but is a factor influencing long-term durability, this is a clear indication that multiple use was intended. This, in turn, opens up the question of any illicit return cargo, like weapons, that they might carry back to Colombia." Really interesting article.
- daodedickinson 7y ago
  >Despite the costs, some of the craft are intended for one-time use, being abandoned at sea after a successful delivery. As foretold by Metal Gear Solid.
isnetea 7y ago
The correct spelling is Colombia.
- yahwhatev 7y ago
  Deutschland, Italia, Colombia. Germany, Italy, Columbia.
  - Armisael16 7y ago
    Not if we’re talking about the country. It’s still spelled Colombia in English.
  - piva00 7y ago
    Not sure if you tried to correct OP but if so, you are wrong. [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia

dmos62 7y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narco-submarine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narco-submarine Just to make clear, makeshift submarine smuggling is not a new phenomenon. One was found abandoned in 1988, first one to be seized was in 2006, and, "by 2009, the U.S.A. detected as many as 60 narco submarine related events". "The narco-submarines can cost about $2 million USD and take upward of a year to build.[16] Despite the costs, some of the craft are intended for one-time use, being abandoned at sea after a successful delivery. After all, their cargoes carry a street value of up to $400 million. On other seized craft however, officials found zinc bars used as sacrificial anodes, reducing corrosion on metal parts exposed to seawater.[17] As corrosion would not be a concern on a single trip but is a factor influencing long-term durability, this is a clear indication that multiple use was intended. This, in turn, opens up the question of any illicit return cargo, like weapons, that they might carry back to Colombia." Really interesting article.

daodedickinson 7y ago
>Despite the costs, some of the craft are intended for one-time use, being abandoned at sea after a successful delivery. As foretold by Metal Gear Solid.

isnetea 7y ago

The correct spelling is Colombia.

yahwhatev 7y ago
Deutschland, Italia, Colombia. Germany, Italy, Columbia.
- Armisael16 7y ago
  Not if we’re talking about the country. It’s still spelled Colombia in English.
- piva00 7y ago
  Not sure if you tried to correct OP but if so, you are wrong. [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia