A “joint and complex” operation culminated in the seizure of 2.3 tonnes of cocaine off the coast of Madeira, in an operation led by the French Navy.
The information was released by the French Navy itself, through the social network X (formerly Twitter), where it detailed that the seizure of 2,373 kilograms of drugs took place between last Friday and Saturday, the 17th and 18th of October.
According to a statement from the Préfecture Maritime de l’Atlantique (Maritime Prefecture of the Atlantic), the French Anti-Drug Office (OFAST) requested the intervention of the Navy after the detection of a “speedboat loaded with suspicious bales.”
During the boarding, which involved a French frigate, a helicopter on board, and a maritime surveillance aircraft ‘Beechcraft B300’ of the National Directorate of Customs of the French Coast Guard, the vessel refused to stop, forcing the authorities to resort to the use of armed force to prevent the suspected traffickers from fleeing.
“It was necessary to use armed force to immobilise the boat when they refused to comply,” the statement said, adding that, after the vessel was stopped and boarded, an inspection team checked the cargo, confirming “the presence of narcotics.”
“In total, 2,373 kg of cocaine were seized on board the ship, with an estimated market value of more than 128 million euros,” the official note stresses.
According to French media, the members of the small crew on board were arrested, but the Navy did not specify the number detained or their nationality.
DIÁRIO also contacted the commander of the Madeira Maritime Zone, who did not want to comment on the matter.
The operation took place under the direction of the Maritime Prefect of the Atlantic and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Judicial Court of Brest, in coordination with the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N), the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (NCA), and had the cooperation of the civil and military authorities of Portugal and Spain.
“The perfect cooperation between the various national and international actors in the fight against drug trafficking made this new and remarkable seizure possible,” the statement concluded.
A video of the operation can be viewed on: https://youtu.be/D-8-CjErg8A
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
