Accused Detroit River smuggler used James Bond-style submarine

Detroit —The James Bond-style gadget prosecutors say a Canadian man used to smuggle drugs and money across the Detroit River is closer to an underwater jet ski than a submarine.

New details involving the criminal case against Glen Mousseau, 49, and the type of watercraft emerged Tuesday as he agreed to be held without bond pending trial in an unusual smuggling case that last week drew national attention.

A source familiar with the investigation said Mousseau used a Seabob-Jet, an egg-shaped, WiFi-equipped, electric scooter capable of propelling him along the bottom of the Detroit River at more than 13 miles per hour in near silence and with two cameras providing lookout. A Seabob-Jet usually sells for $9,000 to $16,500.

"It's like a bullet you hold on to," said Amy Krueger Malow, president of Jefferson Beach Yacht Sales, a Seabob dealer.

Using the underwater scooters to haul drugs is not unprecedented. Two Dutchmen were accused six years ago of planning to use a Seabob-Jet to haul more than $20 million worth of cocaine into Scotland.

Jefferson Beach has sold about a dozen Seabob-Jets in recent years.

"They are far more popular in the tropics," where the water is clearer and underwater life more scenic, Krueger Malow said. 

"You can't really dive and see much in the Great Lakes," she said.

Mousseau, meanwhile, was charged Friday after federal agents found him floating unconscious in the Detroit River while hauling 265 pounds of marijuana, according to authorities.

Mousseau made an initial appearance Friday in federal court to face drug possession, smuggling and immigration charges that could send him to prison for more than 10 years. He is being held without bond in the Livingston County Jail.

A relative described Mousseau as a good man, a family man and laborer who public records show lived in a split-level ranch in Windsor, less than six miles from the Detroit River.

Court records indicate he was deported from the United States in 1995, according to the affidavit.

rsnell@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @robertsnellnews