The distribution of cocaine has surged globally in recent years, astonishing law enforcement officials, as smugglers become more adept at spreading the drug worldwide. In addition to a historic peak of cocaine supply, so-called narco subs have proliferated as an effective means of disseminating cocaine.

What are narco subs?
A narco submarine, sometimes known as a drug sub or narco sub, is a customized self-propelled semi-submersible or fully submersible built and used by drug smugglers, allowing them to move large quantities of narcotics without detection. They have been operating in the Pacific Ocean for decades but have recently been found on "new routes to Europe and Australia," said The Wall Street Journal.

Though "most commonly seen off the coast of Colombia," narco subs have been "spotted across the globe in recent months," said CBS News. In January, a sub was found broken in two and towed by a fishing boat into a port in northwestern Spain. Last November, the Mexican Navy seized nearly 8,000 pounds of cocaine aboard a narco sub approximately 150 miles off the coast of Acapulco.

What's driving the worldwide spike?
Cocaine supply has reached a historic peak worldwide, according to U.S. and United Nations antidrug officials. Last fall, the U.N. estimated Colombia's annual cocaine yield at 3,000 tons, about eight times the yield of 2012, when "interdiction efforts were at their peak," said the Journal. 

The "loosening of antidrug enforcement in Colombia" combined with "expansive coca cultivation, supply chain improvements and strong consumer demand" have since "pushed the cocaine trade to new highs," said the Journal. To boost that supply chain, organized crime groups are developing "cocaine navies" that utilize narco subs to "ferry larger hauls over greater distances."

What used to be a "one-boat operation risking a run through the Caribbean" has evolved into a "far more globalized network — with many more players, including seasoned smugglers and captains from illegal fishing fleets," said Capt. González, of the Colombian Navy's research team, to the Journal. "You never stop being astonished. As long as there are very good earnings, they can invent anything."

David Attenborough is going to be the "busiest 99-year-old," said The i Paper. As he marks his birthday today with the cinematic release of his new film, "Ocean," the nation's most revered natural-history presenter is "drawing on his long life experience" to make an "emotional plea" to "halt the destruction" of our seas. 

'Passion' and 'distinctive voice' 
Born in west London in 1926, Attenborough was "hooked on the natural world from an early age," said Smithsonian. He studied zoology and geology at the University of Cambridge, then served two years in the Royal Navy before joining the BBC in the 1950s, first as a trainee producer and then as a presenter, despite a boss declaring his teeth "too big for TV." 

Over the next 70 years, Attenborough "attained icon status for his intrepid TV-savvy adventures," showing viewers every corner of the natural world in more than 100 TV series that have brought nature "into the living rooms of billions." His "passion and deep knowledge," as well as his "distinctive often-mimicked voice," have inspired generations of wildlife lovers. 

'More radical shift' 
"People often become more conservative as they get older, but Attenborough's taken a more radical shift during his 90s," said The Spectator. The nonagenarian has spoken increasingly about climate change, urging world leaders at Cop26, for example, to reduce emissions. "Having spent a lifetime showing us nature in all its glory, he has joined the struggle to protect it." 

Attenborough built his career at the BBC, but at streaming platforms including Disney+, he has found not only a "bigger budget" and whopping global reach but also freedom from the British broadcaster's impartiality guidelines, said The i Paper. No longer forbidden from endorsing campaigns or advocating for changes to public policy, he can be "more direct in urging specific intergovernmental action to tackle issues like climate change." 

"Ocean" is "very different" to his previous work, Toby Nowlan, one of the directors of the feature-length documentary, said to Sky News. With "extraordinary" urgency, Attenborough delivers the "biggest message he has ever told," stating: "If we save the ocean, we save our world."