PACIFIC police forces are on high alert after a suspected narcotics submarine was found in Isabel Province, Solomon Islands.
The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) is tightlipped about the find reported by Member of Parliament Ben Maenu’u while on a fishing trip.
But police forces throughout the region have been alerted to this latest find linked to increased drug transportation from the West Coast of the Americas, across the Pacific to Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
The 40-foot fiberglass craft powered by two 85 horsepower engines was abandoned.
“It’s shaped more like a submarine. It is a closed boat. I am uncertain of its origin, but when we located it, the current was flowing towards Lord Howe,” Maenu’u told the Island Sun newspaper.
“The engine is in good condition, however, its covers were missing, and the spark plug was still connected. It hasn’t floated long at sea. Not really a long time. The boat still looks fresh and in good condition.’’
In 2019, the RSIPF removed about 415 packages, including four loose-packed substances, and bottles from a dinghy which washed ashore on Ulawa Island, Makira Province.