Five people are in custody in Martinique after the crew of the French Navy vessel Ventôse seized 1, 472 kilos of cocaine from a ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
The seizure on May 22 was the third by the Ventôse in as many weeks and occurred about 1,000 kilometres southeast of Martinique.
The Ventôse crew boarded an unflagged fishing vessel, which aircraft had located and confiscated 63 bales and four bars of cocaine.
The French law enforcement authorities arrested the five crew members on board and took them and the illegal cargo to the Martinique capital, Fort-de-France.
Indicted on drug trafficking charges on Thursday, the defendants are in prison while investigations continue.
On May 15, the Ventôse crew seized 2.4 tonnes of cocaine from a Venezuelan fishing vessel.
In partnership with other law enforcement agencies, the seizure occurred 820 miles northeast of Martinique.
PHOTO: Courtesy Force Armées aux Antilles. Story updated to correct typo to figure of 1,472 kilos. The original story stated 1,472 tonnes.
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The seizure was 1,000 kilometers from Martinique (about 600 miles). The other seizure was 820 miles from Martinique. As I understand it, these vessels were in international waters or ‘high seas’, outside the jurisdiction of any nation. What authority did the French have to conduct those operations?
Don’t misunderstand this as support for the drug trade: far be it. I’m just curious about the abuse of authority when one nation seizes vessels in waters outside their 200 mile limit.
Can anybody enlighten me here?
@ModestusLouis, I am not expert but I had the same wondering a few years back and I fond out a few things.
There is something called universal jurisdiction. Certain crimes, such as piracy, slavery, and unauthorized broadcasting, are considered so serious that any state has the authority to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators, regardless of where the crime took place or the nationality of those involved. The US and Europe use this to fight pirates off the African coast and regional agreements.
Additionally, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) allows states to board and inspect foreign vessels if there are reasonable grounds to suspect they are engaged in drug trafficking.
I read a case of drug trafficking once where the lawyers for both sides spent hours arguing hot pursuit. That is where the French can claim they spotted the vessel in French waters and gave chase. It does not matter where the chase ends.
@ modestus. Professing to be wise they become foods. Smh. The point is that they were able to prevent cocaine from getting to the streets thereby worsening the social situation. You don’t have nun constructive to say then just shut the hell up. Choopz.
Well said @ theval ….you got it spot on. I will also add that the fact that it is stateless (unflagged) give a coast guard that authority to board if suspected of international crimes . There is also constructive pressence. Read the UNCLOS it will explain
Take a look at the almighty tonnage recovered…1,472 tonnes is an extremely huge load. I had to read it thrice to ascertain that I read right. Quite likely, the cargo was compromised earlier on. There will be hell to pay for a loss that size. The crew had better wish for long prison sentences.
I personally don’t think the numbers 1472 tons is correct might be error in the printing because as I can remember one ton equal 2000lbs so multiply this number by 2000 tells you how much weight in a fishing vessel they must have been going to supply the whole European Union
In international waters are where the distractions of our human existence does take place by plying the trade. Drugs don’t sell and consume in international waters it must land at some shore, when it does it create mayhem to human beings while a fraction grew super rich in the trade. I have no quasi about which country make such arrest or finding. Also this is not a just random thing. They are IR satellite in orbit that is designed to monitor transshipment of product and obviously where the drugs are originated from are often being traced and the capabilities of which security force are able to intercept obviously is the winner. Drugs mules can suffer these lost because on the basement they are mountain of cash stash ready to repeat it in a more diverse way. This may not be a first find, many probably passed already and more on its way. It could also be a decoyed to loose with poor quality. I encourage the risk and hard work of the security force.
Free up the guys. Drug money running the world.
Tell Dem stop being a jacka$$ . Hope you learnt something from the discourse that took place following his question.