On April 5, 2023, under the direction of the maritime prefect for the Atlantic and the public prosecutor of Brest, the high seas patrol vessel Premier L’Her of the French Navy, seized more than 4, 7 tons of cocaine on a freighter off the coast of Africa, north of the equator.
This operation was conducted in cooperation with the National Directorate of Intelligence and Customs Investigations (DNRED) .
Supported by the Falcon 50 of the French Navy detached to Dakar, Senegal, and the system of mini aerial drone embarked for the Navy (SMDM), the visit team of the high seas patrol boat Premier-maître L’Her is intervention 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 trafficking in narcotics and psychotropic substances. In total, 4,740.50 kg of cocaine were discovered on board, then transferred to the high seas patrol vessel Premier-maître L’Her to be destroyed there.
The perfect cooperation between the national and international players in the fight against narcotics, in particular the operational center for the analysis of maritime intelligence for narcotics (MAOC-N), and the diplomatic network of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), made it possible to obtain this result. It illustrates the effectiveness of the action of the French State at sea in the fight against trafficking and organized crime.
The high seas patrol vessel Premier L’Her has been engaged since the end of January 2023 in Operation Corymbe to contribute to maritime security and fight against illicit activities in the Gulf of Guinea in conjunction with our African and European partners.
Over the past two months, the high seas patrol vessel Premier L’Her has participated in the joint operational patrol AFRICAN NEMO, centered on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as in the exercise of the same name, focused on the fight against piracy. On March 30, 2023, she relocated and assisted the oil tanker Monjasa Reformer, victim of a pirate attack five days earlier.