French naval ship intercepts 3.5 tons of coke near Barbados
December 4, 2023

A French naval frigate intercepted 3.5 tons of cocaine from a fishing vessel in the Caribbean southeast of Barbados on November 28. The mega batch of coke was probably intended for the European market. An unknown number of crew members have been arrested.

119 bales
After crew members from the French naval vessel La Combattante and a helicopter located the fishing vessel, the vessel was forced to stop and raided. 119 bales of cocaine were found on board, totaling 3,500 kilos of cocaine. It was determined that the crew of the fishing vessel was of Venezuelan nationality.

The crew members were arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling and handed over to Venezuelan authorities. The shipments of coke were seized and destroyed.

The operation was carried out by the armed forces of the Les Forces armées aux Antilles (FAA) in collaboration with French Customs, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in France, and in coordination with American and Colombian allies.