By Adama Makasuba
Senegal’s navy has seized nearly three tonnes of cocaine from a ship that was off to the country’s coast of Senegal. It is one of the most prominent drug hauls by Senegal’s navy.
The region is a transit point for Latin American cartels trafficking drugs to Europe and elsewhere. However, the navy did not give details of the vessel or its crew, except that ten people were on board, and one was a Senegalese national.
The navy said ten people, including a Senegalese, were on board the ship. It did not give further details of the crew or the vessel. The vessel was intercepted by a naval patrol in international waters about 150km (93 miles) from the capital Dakar and taken to a naval base on Tuesday for “identification and logging of the seized products,” the navy said.
It posted photos on X of a docked rusty vessel that appear to show the intercepted cargo in bundles, with officers standing beside it. The navy did not say whether the people on board had been charged.
In January, more than 800kg of cocaine was confiscated from a ship off the coast of Senegal. In 2019, a boat traveling from Brazil was intercepted. It was reportedly carrying 750kg of cocaine, hidden inside 15 cars, with European countries being among its destinations.
