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Drug trafficking: the French navy intercepts 10 tonnes of cocaine
Drug trafficking: French navy intercepts 10 tonnes of cocaine
(France 2)
The French navy has seized 10.7 tonnes of cocaine from a fishing boat coming from Brazil in the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of Africa. Over the past year, seizures have increased in the area.
10.7 tonnes were seized aboard a rustic fishing boat, flying the Brazilian flag. “This is indeed a record seizure. Every action means less cocaine circulating in Europe“, comments the frigate captain of the maritime prefect, Alban Simon. The operation took place in the Gulf of Guinea, off the West African coast. The French navy is tracking down drug traffickers’ goods there. The area, as large as seven once France, is bordered by 14 countries.
Seizures have increased in these waters in recent months: 5 tonnes were notably intercepted in December 2023. Interventions sometimes take place at night, the better to surprise the traffickers.
A lawless zone
Transported from places of production, the drug travels by boat to the African coast, and heads towards northern Europe. “The Gulf of Guinea has become a gray zone, a lawless zone. There are already a lot of pirates, but especially in the states bordering the Gulf, there is unfortunately a very high rate of corruption among the police.”, analyzes Bertrand Monnet, professor at EDHEC and specialist in criminal economics. In 2023, the French navy seized more than 33 tonnes of drugs worldwide, the equivalent of 775 million euros.
