The Armed Forces in the Antilles (FAA) seized a total of eight tonnes of cocaine on three separate boats in one week, or more than half of the quantity intercepted by these soldiers over the whole of 2023, AFP learned on Thursday from concordant sources.
The French Navy withdrew more than 11 tonnes of narcotics from the market in 2023
At least three tons of white powder were recovered on February 20 by the crew of the Germinal in the Atlantic Ocean, some 3,000 kilometers from the coast of Martinique, the home base of this FAA frigate. Four men aged between 30 and 61 – a South African, a Russian and two British – were on board the boat, which flew the Panamanian flag. They were handed over to police forces in Fort-de-France on Monday, a police source told AFP.
Panama abandoned its jurisdiction in this case, which led to the referral to the Ofast (anti-narcotics office) of the Caribbean, under the authority of the Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction (Jirs) of Fort-de-France, according to this source. Another boat carrying three tonnes of cocaine was boarded by the crew of the surveillance frigate in the same week, a source close to the matter told AFP, without specifying the date of this interception. Finally, about an additional ton was recovered from a third ship on Monday. In total, eight tonnes of cocaine were seized, a source close to the matter told AFP on Thursday evening.
A press conference on these seizures will be organized Saturday morning in Fort-de-France by the public prosecutor Clarisse Taron, the prefect of Martinique Jean-Christophe Bouvier and Rear Admiral Nicolas Lambropoulos, senior commander of the FAA, indicated the floor. This triple operation represents more than half of the seizures made by the Armed Forces in the Antilles last year: the French Navy withdrew more than 11 tonnes of narcotics from the market in 2023, including a record seizure of 3.5 tonnes.
Europol estimates the annual market for the sale of cocaine at between 7.6 and 10.5 billion euros
Transportation by sea is the main gateway for cocaine in France, with 75.4% of the quantities seized in 2022 (84% in 2021), or 16.3 tonnes. Most of the powder comes from the three major producing countries: Colombia, Peru, Bolivia. Experts estimate the total volume of cocaine offered on the global market in 2021 at more than 2,000 tonnes, two-thirds of which supplied by Colombia. Like 90% of world trade, most cocaine crosses the Atlantic in maritime containers, hidden in perfectly legal shipments departing from South American ports, Santos in Brazil and Guayaquil in Ecuador in the lead.
More than half (55%) of the white powder seized in 2022 came from the Antilles and Guyana, a transit zone before arriving in mainland France. Other shipments travel through West Africa before returning to Europe. The traffic offers unparalleled profitability: a kilo bought for $1,000 in South America is sold for around 35,000 euros in Europe. The European Police Office (Europol) today estimates the annual cocaine retail market at between 7.6 and 10.5 billion euros.