PARIS, France: The French navy has seized 2.4 tonnes of cocaine from a Venezuelan fishing boat in the Atlantic, authorities announced on Monday. The operation was initiated following a tipoff from the customs department.
A helicopter from the frigate Ventose deployed a team to board the fishing boat approximately 1,500 kilometers northeast of the Caribbean island of Martinique, according to France’s Caribbean Armed Services department. The vessel, along with its crew and the cocaine, was handed over to Venezuelan authorities.
This recent operation brings the total narcotics seized by the French military department this year to over 12 tonnes. The Caribbean region is becoming increasingly significant as a route for cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe and North America.
In 2022, 22.7 tonnes of cocaine were intercepted in the Caribbean, a substantial increase from the figures a decade earlier, reflecting the escalating trafficking activities in the region.
