French authorities have announced the seizure of nearly 2.65 tons of cocaine from a fishing boat off the coast of the West Indies.
The operation began when the Caribbean Armed Services received a tip from the customs department and flagged a Venezuelan fishing vessel 932 miles northeast of Martinique on May 15.
A helicopter from the surveillance frigate Ventôse landed a team on the boat, where they discovered and seized 81 bales of cocaine weighing roughly 2.65 tons. Photos show the stash bound tightly in black plastic.
The crew and their cargo were turned over to Venezuelan authorities, according to the military department.
This marked the seventh drug bust of the year, with a total of over 13 tons of narcotics seized across all operations.
French authorities seized nearly 2.65 tons of cocaine from a fishing boat (pictured) off the coast of the West Indies on May 15
A team from the Caribbean Armed Services landed on the vessel and discovered 81 bales of cocaine (pictured)
Also this month, French authorities conducted two maritime operations off the coast of Martinique, where they coincidentally seized a total of 2.65 tons of cocaine destined for Europe.
On May 2, sailors from Ventôse decided to inspect a sailboat sporting a Polish flag, according to a press release. It is unclear if and why they were tipped off.
The boat was intercepted ‘in an area widely used by criminal organizations to transfer drugs between vessels,’ according to the release.
The French soldiers noticed ‘numerous suspicious bundles’ that turned out to be filled with around 1,200 kilograms of cocaine. The boat, crew and cargo were taken to Martinique and handed over to the French judicial authorities.
Seven days later, soldiers from the French Navy boarded a flagless service vessel and seized roughly 1,236 kilograms of the drug, which were later destroyed.
French customs officials most recently seized 406 kilograms of cocaine from yet another vessel flying a Polish flag on May 23.
In a wild turn of events, the two crew members attempted to destroy the ship and its cargo by setting it on fire.
Both they and the 19 bales of cocaine were rescued and passed off to investigators.
The development marked the seventh drug bust of the year, with over 13 tons of narcotics seized across all operations
Earlier this month, authorities seized a total 2.65 tons of cocaine in two separate operations
On May 23, French customs officials seized 406 kilograms of the drug from a vessel whose crew members set it on fire in an attempt to destroy the evidence
Authorities have only intensified drug interdiction efforts in the region over the past decade. A whopping 22.7 tons of cocaine were intercepted in the West Indies in 2022, more than five times the amount seized in 2012.
A 2014 press release from the U.S. Department of State identified Martinique and the islands of the French Caribbean as significant transshipment points for drug trafficking.
‘The broad expanse of the Caribbean Sea and the proximity to other nations with relatively lax law enforcement and endemic corruption facilitate drug trafficking in the area,’ the release noted.
Martinique has long served as a popular shipment hub for substances like cocaine, cannabis products and ecstasy.
While much of the cargo originates in South and Central America and passes through the West Indies to Europe, the State Department also identified syndicates with members from the French Caribbean that were attempting to smuggle drugs to France and neighboring countries.
French Guyana, the islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe, the French side of Saint Martin, and St. Barthélemy are all overseas departments of France, meaning they are subject to French law.
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