After an investigation that lasted 18 months, French authorities have carried out a major anti-drug operation, seizing 800 kilograms of cocaine during the night between April 3 and 4.
The drugs were found hidden on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship that had set sail from Brazil and was bound for Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The operation took place in the waters near Dunkirk (northern France), as the crew was transferring the cocaine from the large ship to a fishing boat. The plan was to secretly transport the drugs to the small port of Ouistreham, in Calvados.
The entire crew of the ship – 22 sailors from the Philippines – have been detained and are in custody. Meanwhile, eight other accomplices, including three fishermen, have been arrested in the cities of Le Havre, Ouistreham and Tancarville.
Nearly 100 police officers were deployed to arrest the accused when they returned aboard the ships to shore at the same time in Ouistrham and Tancarville.
According to police, these people were involved in the logistics of drug trafficking and helped distribute the cargo. The fishermen involved constitute a new phenomenon that is worrying French authorities, as smaller ports are increasingly being used for international drug trafficking.
Those arrested claim to have acted under threat from criminal networks, but investigations are continuing to determine the exact roles and responsibilities of each. (A2 Televizion)
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