When David is Bad and Goliath is Good

October 20, 2008 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under International Affairs, Terrorism 

Annie Jacobsen on the nimbleness of Colombian drug cartels:

It was David and Goliath on the high seas, with David being the bad guy in this story — the Colombian narcotraffickers who produce and supply the world with cocaine. In today’s version of the classic tale, the David character transports up to ten tons of cocaine in mini submarines: approximately 50 feet long, made of steel and fiberglass, with a crew of four — able to make it from Ecuador to San Diego in a straight shot without having to stop for food or fuel. The Goliath character, the U.S. Coast Guard, patrols millions upon millions of square miles in a behemoth of a ship, 378 feet long, carrying a crew of 170, at least one HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, a few cannons, and some other weapons, too.

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