PARIS, Feb 5 (Reuters) – The French Navy seized more than 4 tonnes of cocaine in French Polynesia and intercepted another boat carrying the drug in the Caribbean, France’s armed forces minister said on Thursday, as the U.S. and other countries step up their fight against drug trafficking.
Local officials in French Polynesia said the seizure occurred on Monday when a Navy vessel, acting on intelligence from French and New Zealand customs, stopped a boat flagged for suspicion. The Navy found 174 packages of cocaine on board, officials said in a statement.
A prior drug interception occurred in French Polynesia on January 16, when nearly 5 tonnes of cocaine were seized, authorities from the Pacific nation said.
The drugs were not destined for Polynesia and were subsequently destroyed, while the crew and vessel were permitted to continue traveling under international law.
Separately, Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said in a statement on X that around 678 kg of cocaine had been recovered from a vessel in the Caribbean, with the boat handed over to the Barbadian authorities.