France’s navy seized over four tons of cocaine from a ship in the south Pacific and also intercepted a boat trafficking cocaine in the Caribbean Sea, the country’s armed forces minister said on Thursday.
Catherine Vautrin wrote on X that 4.24 tons of cocaine was seized in the Pacific and a boat carrying 678 kilograms of cocaine was intercepted in the Caribbean and handed over to the Barbadian authorities.
The vessel in the Pacific, from Central America and believed bound for South Africa, was intercepted in French Polynesia, the country’s high commission in the island territory said in a statement.
Its cargo was destroyed at sea, away from the Polynesian economic zone and marine protected area, officials told AFP.
Vautrin and the high commission released images from the operation on social media, showing an aerial view of the interception as well as packages of the purported drugs on board a naval vessel. Vautrin touted the armed forces’ “vigilance and professionalism to thwart a globalized trafficking network.”
France’s High Commission in French Polynesia
The prosecutor’s office did not bring charges so as not to burden the local court with a case of drug trafficking not destined for French Polynesia itself.
The high commission said the vessel and its crew were freed under international law.
Last month, the navy seized almost five tons of cocaine, believed headed for Australia, from a fishing vessel near French Polynesia.
The United Nations has said in recent years that organized crime groups trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine have expanded their presence in the Pacific.
Large amounts of drugs are transported from North and South America for Australian and New Zealand markets, according to the United Nations.
French Polynesia lies along these maritime routes and is itself affected by significant methamphetamine use.
Its small population of 280,000, however, spares it from being a prime target for large-scale drug trafficking.
