The French navy has seized nearly 10 tonnes of cocaine worth more than $600 million from a fishing vessel off the coast of West Africa, authorities announced on Thursday.
Two French naval ships intercepted the vessel on Monday after receiving intelligence from anti-drug and maritime agencies, as well as British police, officials in France’s northwestern Atlantic Maritime region said.
The operation formed part of France’s long-running Corymbe naval mission, which has been patrolling the Gulf of Guinea since 1990 to combat piracy and strengthen maritime security.
“In total, 9.6 tonnes of cocaine with a market value of nearly 519 million euros ($609 million) were seized from a boat,” the Atlantic Maritime prefecture said, adding that the vessel was unregistered and did not sail under any national flag.
By the end of August, the French navy had already intercepted almost six tonnes of cocaine in the same region.
Admiral Nicolas Vaujour, Chief of Naval Staff, noted that drug seizures in 2025 had already hit a record high, with more than 45 tonnes intercepted so far.