INFO FRANCEINFO. The number of passengers transporting drugs by plane from Guyana down sharply

The number of passengers carrying drugs from Guyana is in freefall, thanks to the strengthening of controls put in place by the authorities in the fall of 2022, according to information from franceinfo this Saturday, March 18.

Since last November, all passengers without exception have been checked at Félix Eboué airport in Cayenne, as well as their baggage, on Air France and Air Caraïbes flights. Thus, 3,147 passengers suspected of smuggling cocaine from Cayenne to Paris have been temporarily banned from taking a flight.

Up to 900 passengers checked per day

At the rate of one kilogram of cocaine ingested by “mule” (person transporting drugs by ingesting it, thanks to small plastic ovules) on average, this represents approximately more than three tons of narcotic products which have not left Guyana, thanks to the system put in place since November 1, 2022. The authorities also estimate that there are now eight “mules” on board each plane on average, compared to 50 previously.

Since the system was put in place, 7,300 passengers have not been able to board. This figure includes people placed in police custody, arrested against “mules”, and passengers suspected of smuggling drugs who did not show up for boarding. The system mobilizes 30 personnel from the territorial management of the national police (DTPN), 16 soldiers from the gendarmerie (EGM) and five customs officers. It allows the control of one to two daily flights, carried out by Air France or Air Caraïbes, ie from 300 to 900 passengers per day.

Dropping arrests at Paris airports

Despite everything, some smugglers from Cayenne still manage to escape the police, who continue to arrest them in Paris airports. At Roissy and Orly, however, the number of arrests has dropped since the system was introduced: an average of 33 smugglers arrested between January and October 2022, 20 in November, 11 in December, 26 in January 2023 and 8 in February.

The government has also promised an “in corpore” scanner at Orly airport this year. It should be noted that three-quarters of the cocaine arriving in mainland France passes through the maritime routes.