PARAMARIBO--It seems investigators may have lost the largest piece of evidence in the case of the drug submarine that was intercepted in Suriname in January: the submarine itself. The vessel over which eight foreign men remain in custody, was being transported to Paramaribo when it slipped off a transport boat and sank into the murky depths of the Coppename River last week. Authorities have since not been able to track down exactly where in the river the underwater vessel is located. Some suspect foul play, others joke that the boat probably decided to go do what it was made for: dive.
The flat semi-submersible vessel was found on January 29, by a “Special Team of Investors” who had gone out to follow up on a tip. The boat was stuck in the mud of a shallow river in District Saramacca, a few dozen kilometres off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Its engine appeared broken. It is not clear exactly when it entered Suriname. A week later eight men – seven Colombian nationals and one Cuban national – were apprehended in its immediate vicinity. Last week an extensive investigative report published in Dutch online magazine Blendle, suggested that they were part of a large-scale operation of the Colombian mafia. They remain in custody, pending trial.
The submarine had meanwhile remained in District Saramacca, under guard of a team of police officers. Then over the past weekend it was loaded onto a barge that was to transport it to Paramaribo, now guarded by army soldiers.
Police reported that not long after it set sail, the barge was “unfortunately” rammed by another vessel at Coppename River. This caused the submarine to slip into the water. On Monday it seemed as if it could be salvaged easily, but then the chain that they were hauling it back onto the barge with, snapped and it disappeared into the dark river.
Responding to suspicions that this was no accident and that authorities were assisting the criminals in making the evidence disappear, police released a statement on Tuesday, stating that “there was no ill will involved in the sinking of the submarine” and that “it was just an unfortunate accident.” Police spokesman Humphrey Naarden assured that it would be salvaged soon. “The search is underway to find out exactly where it is located. As soon as they have found it, it will be retrieved and that could be anytime. Right now we’re waiting,” he said.
