On March 14th, the Commandant Bouan, a vessel of the French Navy, conducted a record seizure of cocaine aboard a fishing vessel (flying the Brazilian flag) measuring about twenty meters, approximately 625 nautical miles south-southwest of Monrovia, Liberia.
€695 million Seized
In total, nearly “10,693 kg of cocaine, with an estimated market value of nearly €695 million, were seized aboard the fishing boat, then transferred to the vessel to be destroyed in accordance with the decision of dissociation made by the Brest prosecutor’s office,” the maritime prefecture of the Atlantic specifies.
The seized narcotics were transferred aboard the vessel to be destroyed. This operation was carried out under the responsibility of the maritime prefect of the Atlantic and the public prosecutor of Brest.
An “exceptional result” that could not have occurred without international collaboration. Indeed, it was the Office for Narcotics and Drugs (OFAST) and the National Directorate of Intelligence and Customs Investigations (DNRED) that had requested the intervention of the French Navy “based on information provided by their partners at the Maritime Analysis and Operations Center (Narcotics) (MAOC-N) and the American Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA),” based on an investigation conducted with the Brazilian Federal Police.
While 21.38 tons of cocaine had been seized by French coast guard units in 2023, 19.9 tons have already been seized by the French Navy since the beginning of 2024. This is equivalent to 60% of all illicit substance seizures combined in 2023.
Maritime Presence: Operation Corymbe
Since 1990, the French Navy has been permanently deploying one to two French vessels in the Gulf of Guinea as part of Operation Corymbe, to ensure maritime security.
In November 2023, the French Navy’s amphibious helicopter carrier MISTRAL seized 885 kg of cocaine on a fishing boat off the West African coast.
The mission’s objective is to strengthen the capacities of coastal navies, with France contributing to the development of the Yaoundé Architecture ensuring regional maritime security. Operation CORYMBE complements the French presence in West Africa by participating in the maritime component of operational cooperation implemented by presence forces.
