Portocarrero's vessels measured up to 60 feet long and were outfitted with complex ballast, communications and power systems, officials said. They were typically powered by 350-horsepower diesel engines, and the four-man crew had state-of-the-art radio, GPS and satellite telephone communications.
The subs have a range of 2,000 miles, more than enough to get from here to Mexico's Bay of Tehuantepec, a favored destination, Borrero said.
Although the subs are taxing counter-narcotics officials' ability to keep up, DEA officials say they are getting better at detecting the subs, thanks to computerized systems in British patrol aircraft.
Law enforcement has also been helped by a law the U.S. Congress passed in October making it possible to convict a boat's crew on the basis of visual evidence that they were manning the subs. Before, crews avoided prosecution by simply scuttling the craft and sinking the drugs, depriving law enforcement of the evidence they needed.
Colombian authorities say they expect Portocarrero to be extradited to the United States, though no U.S. charges have yet been filed against him.
Some officials fear it's only a matter of time before traffickers take the next "logical" step: the use of real submarines. Although no true submarines have ever been stopped with cocaine, authorities discovered one in 1995 near Bogota being built according to Russian plans.
"As the interdiction rate against semi-submersibles increases, as it has, will traffickers revert back to the ubiquitous 'go-fasts,' or will they take it to the next level -- a fully submersible craft, unmanned with remote guidance capability?" the high-ranking DEA official said. "The latter has a lot more agencies than just DEA concerned."
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chris.kraul@latimes.com
