French Navy seizes five tonnes of cocaine believed headed to Australia from ship in South Pacific

AFP

20 Jan, 2026 04:00 PMQuick Read

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A French Navy helicopter operates along a seized fishing vessel at a location in the South Pacific. France’s Navy has seized 4.87 tonnes of cocaine, believed to be bound for Australia, from a fishing vessel in the South Pacific, French officials said. Photo / Handout, Marine Nationale, AFP

France’s Navy has seized 4.87 tonnes of cocaine, believed to be bound for Australia, from a fishing vessel in the South Pacific, French officials said.

The vessel, coming from Central America, was intercepted on January 16, France’s High Commission in French Polynesia said in a statement yesterday, adding the armed
forces mobilised “significant human and material resources” for the operation.

The cocaine was being transported on a ship sailing under Togo’s flag and destined for the Australian market, according to a source close to the investigation.

The 10 Honduran and one Ecuadoran crew would not be prosecuted by French authorities, according to the source, but their home countries had the option of launching legal proceedings against them.

The United Nations has said in recent years that organised crime groups trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine have expanded their presence in the Pacific.