More than 400 kilograms of cocaine has been found on a yacht which had stopped in Papeete, French Polynesia on its way from Panama to Australia.

Published 2 years ago

Source:  Radio1

Papeete’s Public Prosecutor Hervé Leroy provided details on the investigation which was opened after law enforcement officials discovered 423.9 kilos of cocaine on board a yacht which had berthed in Papeete.

The boat which had sailed from Panama and was heading for Australia, a buoyant market for this amazing product, according to the prosecutor. The two people arrested on board the yacht were of Swedish nationality and were placed in detention in the hands of Ofast. At the end of the investigation, they face up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 7,500,000 euros, or nearly 900 million francs.

The drugs were discovered on Wednesday, September 21 when customs and the territorial management of the national police intercepted the yacht which was flying the Swedish flag.

On board, after interior and exterior searches, using divers and sounders, 423.862 kilograms of cocaine divided into 379 bales, was found placed in caches fitted in the walls.

M. Leroy said the incident was the seventh case of importing cocaine on a sailboat since 2016. “Two men from the monohull yacht which was flying the Swedish flag “spoke good English” and were initially placed under “customs detention”, and then entrusted to investigators from Ofast and the DTPN as part of the investigation into violation of French Polynesia’s narcotics legislation.

“They are presumed innocent until their guilt is pronounced by a judge,” said the prosecutor. “The investigations revealed that the boat came from Panama and was heading for Australia, where strong demand was generating a surge in the price of this drug”.

The prosecutor noted “the unfailing commitment of the magistrates of the Papeete public prosecutor’s office, and of all the participants in the fight against drug trafficking in the Pacific”.

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Related News:

Cocaine Seized in Papeete – 423 Kgs Bound for Australia (Radio1 – in French)

Huge Cocaine Shipment Seized in Tahiti (Radio New Zealand)

Cocaine, Geography and COVID19 – Drug Trafficking in the Pacific (Radio New Zealand)

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