Panama Canal Missile Seizure Shows Cuba Remains A Threat

Investor's Business Daily ^ | 16 July 2013 | Editorial

[IBD editorial writer]

National Security: Cuba, long derided in international policy circles as a basket case and no threat to the U.S., has been caught smuggling weapons of war to North Korea in blatant violation of U.N. sanctions. This is a wake-up call. Sharp-eyed Panamanian authorities, watching the North Korean freighter Chong Chon Gang since June, received intelligence it might be shipping illegal drugs, something it had been caught doing before. As the vessel lumbered into the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal from Cuba, Panamanian authorities cornered the 450-foot rust-bucket, battled a maniacally violent crew who slashed ship lines to make it hard to unload the ship, and then watched as the ship's captain tried to kill himself before having a heart attack. After subduing the crew, the Panamanians found no drugs buried beneath sloppily packed brown sugar, but did find defensive RSN-75 "Fan Song" fire-control radar equipment for SA-2 surface-to-air missiles. The discovery, and the crew's behavior, were signs of something big the North Koreans didn't want known — weapons smuggling, a violation of both United Nations sanctions prohibiting all sales of weapons to North Korea and Panama's own laws governing the canal.

[IBD editorial writer]

Castro's still trying to kill us.

[TBP]

We need regime change in Cuba.

But then, we need regime change in the United States.

[justlurking]

The title is misleading. The ship contained a fire control radar FOR missiles, not missiles.

Apparently, Cuba was shipping it back to NK for repair.

[Made In The USA]

“...ship’s captain tried to kill himself before having a heart attack...”

I’d imagine he was less concerned about the Panamanian authorities than his employer finding out his shipment had been seized.

[BenLurkin]

I wonder how many shipments like this were not caught.

[Secret Agent Man]

not really that freaky.

they are norks. they failed at their job. guess what awaits them when they get home?

[Navy Patriot]

Interesting that a NK freighter was shipping Chinese arms from Cuba to North Korea, via the Panama Canal, when North Korea has a common border with China.

[0.E.O]

After subduing the crew, the Panamanians found no drugs buried beneath sloppily packed brown sugar, but did find defensive RSN-75 "Fan Song" fire-control radar equipment for SA-2 surface-to-air missiles.

An obsolete radar for a missile system that was first introduced almost 60 years ago. It sounds more like Castro is pawning off all his old junk on the Norks, Probably overcharged them for the sugar too.

[IBD editorial writer]

That’s what they claimed. If it was as innocent as that, why did the ship turn off its radar to avoid detection, as drug smuggling ships do? Why did it cover the cargo in sugar? Why did the captain attempt to commit suicide upon discovery and why did the crew battle Panamanian authorities? Why did the ship’s manifest neglect to mention that particular cargo?

The Cuban explanation reeks something fishy.

[Grampa Dave]

Way past time to send some Predator drones to Cuba to take out the Castros and their top thugs.

[NonValueAdded]

They knew the shipment was lost and knew the fate that awaits them back in the fun-loving DPRK. They had nothing left to lose.

[Oldexpat]

This is Vietnam War era radar..we saw a lot of it in NVN.
I wonder why, with all the sanctions on NOK we don’t routinely stop and search their ships.

[justlurking]

Yes, they tried to hide the missile radar. It wasn't declared cargo, and presumably embargoed by Panama. And no, it wasn't innocent.

But, the pictures have been validated by comparing them with an SA-2 missile radar array.

My point is that there's a difference between missile radar and an actual missile.

[RayChuang88]

The SA-2 Guideline radar system is so old that any modern jet fighter with an ECM system could easily jam it. This isn't like the S-300 and S-400 systems used by the Russians now, which have modern features like frequency hopping at the trasmitter level to reduce the effectively of ECM.

[George Varnum]

I thought that the Chicoms owned the Panama Canal.

Didn’t Jimmuh Cahtuh give it to them like Klinton gave them the Presidio Naval Base in Californica?

[Buckeye McFrog]

Really quite stupid of him as we appeared to be 90% of the way there towards lifting the embargo.

[Kenny Bunk]

Castro is a hero to the members of the present administration. He is also a hero to the MSM.

However, the Cubans are getting ready for a civil war, polishing up their 1980's hi-tech COMBLOC equipment against the day that Fidel finally shuffles off the mortal coil.

They are afraid that all the middle class exiled Cubans will come home and demand the return of their homes and businesses! It ain't gonna be pretty. Perhaps we should get ready to charge up San Juan Hill all over again.

The good news? Once some kind of legitimate, non-communist movement triumphs, maybe the folks can get a square meal again and do 50 years of pent-up business with ...US!