435kg of cocaine seized from a Grenada-flagged vessel

Ventôse seized 435 kilograms of cocaine from a coastal vessel northwest of Guadeloupe during an air-sea surveillance patrol.

The Ventôse crew’s intervention, carried out in treacherous sea conditions, revealed the presence of suspicious bundles on board the Grenada-flagged vessel. Cocaine was found in the cargo.

The four crew members and the cargo were brought back to Fort-de-France by the Ventôse and handed over to the judicial authorities after the Grenadian authorities waived their jurisdiction in favour of France. A total of 19 bales of cocaine weighing 435kg were seized.

This is Ventôse’s second seizure in less than a month. Since the beginning of the year, the West Indian Armed Forces have seized nearly 1.5 tonnes of narcotics and removed them from distribution networks (seized goods and goods thrown into the sea).

This operation was carried out with the assistance of French Customs and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and was led by the admiral commanding the Antilles maritime zone, by a delegation of the Préfet of Martinique, the government’s delegate for action by the State at sea.

The anti-drug office OFAST conducted the land investigations under the supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Specialised Inter-Regional Jurisdiction (JIRS) of Fort-de-France.