Video shows narcotics submarine detection, suspect arrest off California coast

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A submarine carrying narcotics was intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard and exclusive ABC News video shows the moment the vessel was detected.

In the video, an object is seen glimmering off the coast. It's a submarine-like vessel that operated almost completely underwater to avoid observation and radar.

But a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft was hovering over the vessel and was armed with high-powered surveillance cameras. The suspected smugglers put their arms up and surrendered at sea.

At the same time in San Diego at the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was surrounded by more than 50,000 pounds of cocaine and heroin seized from seafaring drug traffickers. It was worth about $679 million.

"We are facing a challenge in this country with drug abuse, addiction that we've never seen before," Sessions said.

Coast Guard officials said this year's record-breaking haul of narcotics was worth an estimated $6.1 billion.

"Drugs are more available now than in many years. Drugs are cheaper now than we've seen in many, many years," Sessions said.

The seizure of drugs serves as a reminder of the volume of drugs getting into Americans' hands as well as how resourceful the drug cartels are in getting their product into the country.

"We want to put continued pressure on the cartels, call on the American people to reject the drug culture, crack down on prescription drugs that often lead to opioid excess and crack down on this new and even more dangerous substance known as Fentanyl," Sessions said.

Just this year, the Coast Guard has arrested more than 600 suspected drug traffickers and kept nearly half a million pounds of drugs off the streets.