The Armed Forces in the Antilles (FAA) seized more than seven tons of cocaine on three separate boats in one week, or more than half of the quantity intercepted by these soldiers in all of 2023, according to AFP, which cites concordant sources.
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 the police in Fort-de-France on Monday, a police source said.
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, according to a source close to the matter, without specifying the date of this interception.
Finally, an additional ton was recovered from a third ship on Monday.
Between 7.6 and 10.5 billion euros annually
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 tons of narcotics from the market in 2023, including a record seizure of 3.5 tons.
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 purchased 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.