Senegal navy intercepts three tonnes of cocaine 150 km off coast

The Senegalese navy has once again distinguished itself in the fight against drug traffickers as it announced the interception of about 3 tonnes of cocaine being transported via a vessel. The operation is the largest seizure of cocaine in Senegal in the last five years…

Nearly 3 tonnes of pure cocaine has been seized by the Senegalese navy patrol from a vessel it intercepted 150 km off the coast.

Authorities intercepted the ship late Sunday night, according to a Senegalese army communique issued on Tuesday.

The operation is the largest seizure of cocaine in Senegal in the last five years.

In a statement, the military announced that the boat and its cargo had been escorted to the Admiral Faye Gassama Naval Base in Dakar, the capital where it was handed over to the relevant authorities.

The Military Information and Public Relations Directorate did not specify the origin or destination of the illicit cargo.

Senegal is considered a simple transit zone for drugs produced in Latin America, West and Central Africa and rated among the region of high consumption, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

The UN anti narcotics agency explained tbag about 57 tonnes of cocaine were seized in West Africa or en route to the region between 2019 and 2022.

In October 2022, the Senegalese customs announced the arrest of 300 kilograms of cocaine, worth roughly 37 million euros, in a refrigerated truck arriving from neighboring Mali.