The Offshore Patrol Vessel Premier-maître L’Her seizes 4.7 tonnes of cocaine off the African coast
On 5 April 2023, under the direction of the Préfet Maritime de l’Atlantique and the Public Prosecutor of Brest, the French Navy patrol boat Premier-maître L’Her seized more than 4.7 tonnes of cocaine from a cargo ship off the African coast, north of the equator.
This operation was conducted in cooperation with the National Directorate of Intelligence and Customs Investigations (DNRED).
Supported by the French Navy’s Falcon 50 seconded to Dakar, Senegal, and the Navy’s mini aerial drone system (SMDM), the visiting team of the Offshore Patrol Vessel Premier-maître L’Her intervened in the morning on a cargo ship flying the Kittitian flag, with the agreement of the flag State (Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis), in application of Article 17 of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. A total of 4,740.50 kg of cocaine was found on board and transferred to the Offshore Patrol Vessel Premier-maître L’Her for destruction.
The perfect cooperation between national and international counter-narcotics actors, in particular the Maritime Intelligence Operational Centre for Drugs (MAOC-N), and the diplomatic network of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), made this result possible. It illustrates the effectiveness of the French State’s action at sea in the fight against trafficking and organised crime.
Since the end of January 2023, the Offshore Patrol Vessel Premier-maître L’Her has been involved in operation Corymbe to contribute to maritime security and to fight against illicit activities in the Gulf of Guinea in conjunction with our African and European partners.
During the last two months, the Offshore Patrol Vessel Premier-maître L’Her has participated in the joint operational patrol AFRICAN NEMO, focused on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as in the exercise of the same name, focused on the fight against piracy. On 30 March 2023, it relocated and assisted the oil tanker Monjasa Reformer, which had been attacked by pirates five days earlier.
Préfecture maritime de l’Atlantique
