The French navy has intercepted nearly 10 tonnes of cocaine valued at about $610 million off the West African coast, in one of the biggest drug seizures in the region this year.
The operation was carried out on Monday by two French naval ships under Operation Corymbe, following a tip-off from maritime intelligence units, anti-drug agencies and the British National Crime Agency. The narcotics were discovered aboard an unflagged fishing vessel in the Gulf of Guinea.
France’s Atlantic Maritime Prefecture said the seizure involved “seamless cooperation by national and international actors” in the fight against narcotics, describing the 9.6-tonne haul as a “remarkable seizure.”
Operation Corymbe, which has been active since 1990, was established to secure the Gulf of Guinea, a region long plagued by piracy and increasingly used as a route for international drug trafficking.
According to the French navy, about 54 tonnes of drugs have been intercepted in the waters since the start of the year.
The Gulf of Guinea has become a major transit hub for cocaine shipped from South America to Europe, with several drug interceptions recorded in recent months.
Once considered the world’s most dangerous hotspot for piracy, the area now draws naval missions from Western countries seeking to combat both maritime crime and narcotics smuggling.
Last year, the French navy made a record seizure in the region when it intercepted 10.7 tonnes of cocaine in March, the largest drug bust off West Africa to date.