French customs officials have seized a record 900 kilogrammes of cocaine and 180 kilogrammes of methamphetamine aboard a sailing yacht off the Marquesas Islands – one of five archipelagos that make up French Polynesia. France's Overseas Minister Manuel Valls, on an official visit to the region, has said the "fight against drugs must continue".
The German skipper and a Dutch passenger were taken into custody following the seizure, which took place as the yacht made a stopover at Nuku Hiva, one of the region’s most populous islands, the Papeete prosecutor's office announced on Tuesday.
The drugs, loaded in Mexico and reportedly en route to Australia, were intercepted in what officials are calling the largest narcotics haul ever recorded in the territory.
The trafficking route between drug-producing Latin America and high-demand markets in Australia is well known to customs and armed forces who monitor French Polynesia’s vast 5.5-million-kilometre maritime zone.
“We are going to request tighter controls across the Marquesas and more broadly throughout French Polynesia, as this is a known route for traffickers,” said Benoît Kautai, mayor of Nuku Hiva.
Overseas Minister Manuel Valls is on an official visit to the region. Questioned over the drug seizure on his arrival on Tuesday in Tahiti he said: "The State is taking action and will continue to do so on land and at sea, with the aerial surveillance that is required. Of course, we also need to work on prevention. But the fight against drugs, with strong international cooperation, must continue."
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Valls, in his first official trip to the territory, is holding meetings across the islands – from Tahiti to Rangiroa and Moorea – with local leaders, security forces and economic stakeholders.
He is expected to meet Kautai on Thursday. One of the most urgent topics on the agenda is the surge in methamphetamine use, locally known as “ice”.
In late June, the Assembly of French Polynesia unanimously called on the French government to declare the fight against ice a national priority.
The past year has seen a 28 percent rise in drug-related court cases with the increasing involvement of minors. The judicial system is under strain and calls are mounting for more preventative programmes, expanded law enforcement resources and sustained support for communities and NGOs.
“The State must take its share of responsibility for monitoring how these substances are entering our territory,” said Nahema Temarii – Minister for Youth, Sport, and Crime Prevention in French Polynesia.
The quantity of drugs discovered at Nuku Hiva poses problems for storage, security and transport on an island with only three gendarmes. The nearest drug incinerator is in Papeete, Tahiti, more than 1,400 kilometres away.
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French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity with a degree of political autonomy through its own local government.
France has reiterated its commitment to bolstering its presence in the region – not just militarily, but through tangible investments in the priorities of local communities.
(With newswires)
