French Navy Makes Major Cocaine Bust Off Martinique

The French Navy vessel La Confiance seized over 10.5 tons of cocaine after interdicting a fishing vessel off the coast of Martinique. A Forces Armées Aux Antilles Facebook page release said the interdiction occurred between August 14 and 15. The release described the cocaine seizure as one of the largest by the French Navy and its eleventh drug bust so far this year. After boarding the suspicious fishing vessel, the La Confiance crew discovered approximately 300 bales. The cargo and the ship were escorted back to Fort-de-France by the frigate Ventôse on the instructions of the Fort-de-France prosecutor’s office and handed over to the Caribbean branch of the Anti-Narcotics Office (OFAST) on August 20, 2024 Nine people – six Brazilians, two Colombians, and one Venezuelan were arrested. According to local media reports, they appeared before a judge in the Martinique capital, Fort-de-France, on narcotics-related charges, participation in an organised gang, criminal association, and aggravated possession of category B weapons. The accused are currently in prison. The article French Navy Makes Major Cocaine Bust Off Martinique is from St. Lucia Times.