An Abandoned Plane Wreck At The Bottom Of The Sea Once Belonged To A Notorious Criminal

Off an isolated island in the Bahamas, snorkelers float in the turquoise waters, gazing at the glittering world beneath the surface. But it isn’t just the marine life that they’re here for. Down in the depths below lies a relic from the darkest chapter of Norman’s Cay’s history — a crashed plane with links to the drug trade.

Norman's Cay

Located in the Exuma region of the Bahamas, Norman’s Cay is the sort of island paradise that dreams are made of. In fact, it was footage of its white sand beaches and sparkling seas that drew thousands of unsuspecting revelers to the ill-fated Fyre Festival in 2017. But back in the late 1970s, it became the setting for drama of a different sort.

The Medellín Cartel

On behalf of Pablo Escobar’s powerful Medellín Cartel, drug lord Carlos Lehder took over the majority of Norman’s Cay, incorporating the island into his smuggling routes. And for years, it served as the hedonistic epicenter of a wild and dangerous world. Nowadays, though, only a few dedicated tourists make it to this far-flung corner of the globe.

Plane wreck

Many, of course, are fascinated by Norman’s Cay’s less-than-savory past. And there are few relics as intriguing as the World War II aircraft submerged in shallow waters off the island’s coast. Long associated with numerous urban legends, this plane’s inspired many tall tales — though the truth’s perhaps the most interesting story of all.

A sleepy island

The transformation of Norman’s Cay from Bahamian paradise to drug-runner’s party hotspot began in 1978 when Lehder started acquiring the island piece by piece. Prior to that, the sleepy outcrop a few hundred miles from the shores of Florida was inhabited only by a handful of locals — the sort of place that’d remained unchanged for generations.