Miniaturized stealth submarines purpose-built for smuggling are an impressive example of how much technological ingenuity is poured into evading the edicts of contemporary drug prohibition. Even more impressive to me, though, is news of the communications network that was just shut down by Mexican authorities, which covered much of northern Mexico. The system is attributed to the Zetas drug cartel, and consisted of equipment in four Mexican border states. "The soldierly confiscated more than 1,400 radios, 2,600 cell phones and compatible equipment during the operation, as well as power supplies including solar panels, according to regulation the Defense Department," says the article. Too bad — a solar-powered, visually unobtrusive, encrypted cell network sounds like thing I'd like to sign up for. NPR also has a story.

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