The French Navy intercepted nearly six tonnes of cocaine, valued at an estimated €320 million (approximately USD373m), during a major counter-narcotics operation off the coast of West Africa last Friday.
The frigate-led mission was coordinated by the Atlantic Maritime Prefect under the authority of the Public Prosecutor at the Brest Judicial Court. Acting on intelligence provided by international partners — including the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC-N), Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA), and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) — the French Anti-Narcotics Office (OFAST) requested naval support to intercept a suspect vessel.
A boarding team from the frigate, deployed as part of the long-running Corymbe mission, approached the fishing vessel in international waters of the Atlantic maritime zone. The operation was authorised under Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Montego Bay) and concluded in accordance with the Vienna Convention of 20 December 1988 and French Law 94-589.
“The perfect cooperation between national and international actors in the fight against narcotics has made it possible to obtain this remarkable result,” officials said. “It illustrates the effectiveness of the French State’s action at sea in the context of protecting external borders and combating organised crime.”
Operation Corymbe underpins France’s enduring maritime presence in West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea, where French naval assets combat piracy, armed robbery, and drug trafficking.
The mission operates within the Yaoundé maritime security framework, regularly conducting joint exercises with African navies to strengthen regional maritime defence.
The French success comes against the backdrop of heightened maritime counter-narcotics activity across the Atlantic. On Tuesday, U.S. forces carried out a controversial “kinetic strike” against a Venezuelan vessel allegedly transporting narcotics in international waters of the Caribbean, leaving 11 people dead. The U.S. operation has drawn sharp criticism from international law specialists.
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