Four crew members of a ship controlled by the French navy in the Caribbean are suspected of having participated in transatlantic cocaine trafficking.
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Three tonnes of cocaine were seized a week ago, on February 20, on a ship boarded by the French navy in the Caribbean, franceinfo learned from reliable sources on Tuesday February 27. Four men aged 30 to 61 have been in police custody in Fort-de-France in Martinique since Monday.
The men in custody are members of the crew: a man of South African nationality, a Russian, and two British people. All are suspected of having participated in transatlantic cocaine trafficking. From a source close to the case, the ship was apprehended in international waters not far from the French West Indies. According to this source, investigators believe that the ship was taking the classic route of transatlantic cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe.
7 tons of cocaine seized in a few days
The apprehended vessel was handed over to investigators from the Anti-Narcotics Office (Ofast) in Fort-de-France on Monday. According to a source close to the matter, the boarded ship flew the Panamanian flag. According to corroborating sources, other operations carried out in recent days have led to significant seizures, resulting in a total seizure of 7 tonnes of cocaine. The investigation is being conducted under the authority of the JIRS, the Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction, of Fort-de-France. In December, a “record” seizure of 3.5 tonnes of cocaine was made by the French navy in the Antilles.
