French Navy seize almost 10 tons of cocaine worth ova $600 million for West African coast

French navy forces don capture one fishing boat wey carry 9.6 tons of cocaine on top di Gulf of Guinea.

Authorities for di French northwetsern Atlantic Maritime region announce on Thursday say di operation bin happun on Monday, 22 September 2025, afta dem get ogbonge tip-off by anti-drug maritime intelligence operatives and di British Police

"In total, 9.6 tons of cocaine with a market value of nearly 519 million euros ($609 million) was seized from a boat," dem tok.

Dis fishing boat wey dem seize no dey registered for any kontri.

Di French maritime prefecture also post di development on top dia X handle dis Thursday as dem say na marine troops wey follow for di Corymbe mission bin carry out di seizure.

Corymbe naval mission, na operation wey don dey exist since 1990, wia one or two French vessels, supported by one maritime patrol aircraft, dey patrol di Gulf of Guinea regularly to provide additional security for di area sake of piracy and trafficking activities wey dey regular dia.

By di end of August, di French navy don seize almost six tons of cocaine for di same coast of west Africa, AFP tori pipo report.

So far dis 2025, di French Navy don gbab more dan 45 tons of drugs along dis waters, and dis na already a record, according to wetin Admiral Nicolas Vaujour, France Chief of Naval Staff, tell AFP.

Dis no be di first tme di French Naval forces dey make dis kain ogbonge seizure of narcotics for di coast of West Africa.

For March 2024, dem gbab one cocaine consignment wey dey about 10,693 kilogrammes and di estimated market value na about $754 million. Na for one fishing boat wit di flag of Brazil dem hide di drugs.

Dat breakthrough na sake of joinbodi of di French Navy, di United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Brazilian Federal Police.

Gulf of Guinea na major trafficking route

Di Gulf of Guinea (GoG) na more dan 6000 km of coastline wey cut across 16 kontris including Nigeria.

Odas include Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Principe, Togo and Sierra Leone.

E dey rich in natural resources like gas reserve, crude oil, and minerals like diamond, tin, bauxite, manganese and cobalt, according to di European Union Institute for Security Studies.

For January dis year, di EUISS publish one report wia dem tok say "even though di piracy threat for di region don dey come down, oda illicit activities still dey thrive".

"Di geographical location (of di GoG) make am di ideal gateway for illegal trafficking to Africa and Europe, including narcotics from Latin America," di reprot tok.

In 2013, kontris for di GoG come togeda to establish wetin dem call di Yaoundé Architecture, one ogbonge regional mechanism for maritime security wey di focus na to coordinate actions and develop laws to combat piracy, armed robbery and trafficking at sea.

Di initiative na to unite regional kontris and partners to improve security and navigation safety for di GoG through joint exercises, training, and capacity-building efforts.

For di local front, di National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of Nigeria say dem don tighten trafficking routes for di kontri either through dia land, air and sea borders.

In July dis year, during one event to mark di 2025 United Nations international day against drug abuse, di NDLEA say for di past one year, dem don confiscate illicit drugs wey worth more dan 100 billion naira ($67) for street value, for di Onne Port for Port Harcourt Rivers State.

Traditionally, Nigeria dey considered as ogbonge transit hub for drug trafficking, but di kontri don also dey gradually become key producer, consumer, and distributor of illegal drugs, according to di United Nations office on Drug and Crime.