Seizure of cocaine from a speedboat by French Armed Forces. (FAA photo)
FORT DE FRANCE--With the support of Dutch and Dominican maritime patrol aircraft, a French Navy ship recently intercepted a speedboat sailing without a flag in the Caribbean Sea.
Conducted within the framework of the United Nation (UN) conventions relating to the law of the sea and the fight against illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, this operation enabled the French boarding team to note the presence of several suspicious bales when they boarded the vessel.
The inspections led to the seizure of 22 packages, which tested positive for cocaine. The two individuals on board were placed under restraining orders and deprived of their liberty.
The suspects and the illicit cargo, weighing a total of 737 kilogrammes, were then handed over at sea to the Colombian authorities for the exercise of criminal proceedings, in accordance with international regulations and existing cooperation agreements between France and Colombia in the field of combatting drug trafficking.
This seizure is part of an anti-drug trafficking operation called "Royal Toucan" conducted in cooperation with the Colombian navy.
Led by the admiral commanding the Antilles maritime zone, under the direction of the Préfet of Martinique, the Government’s delegate for State action at sea, this operation benefited from close international cooperation.
The Armed Forces in the Antilles FAA continue year-round operations to combat international drug trafficking in order to protect populations and contribute to regional stability, according to a strategy of combating drug trafficking carried out as close as possible to the production areas.
