An operation conducted by the French Navy with the support of the French Anti-Drugs Office (OFAST) has resulted in the seizure of 210Kg of cocaine in the Caribbean Sea.
The 12-metre sailing vessel flying the Spanish flag was intercepted by a French Navy frigate, the Ventôse, during the night of 15th to 16th April West of Barbados, but preliminary searches have only found about 20 kg. The remaining quantity of cocaine was only found after several hours’ work by OFAST officers who managed to reach the illicit cargo that was hidden in large part in the structure of the boat.
The crew consisted of two men, an Estonian and a Latvian who were subsequently arrested and handed over to the competent authorities in Martinique.
“European boats often take advantage of the trade wind season, between November and June, to cross the Atlantic to South America, Venezuela, Trinidad and the Guiana Shield, and set off again with the cocaine for Europe,” explained an OFAST official.
Press (with video): https://www.rci.fm/martinique/infos/Faits-divers/210-kilos-de-cocaine-saisis-par-le-Ventose-au-large-de-Sainte-Lucie#
