The cargo ship is intercepted in international waters
(Picture: National Crime Agency)More than four tonnes of cocaine, that would have been worth a combined £300 million on the street, has been seized from a tug boat on its way to Europe.
The British National Crime Agency worked with French, American and Brazilian authorities to intercept the 21m-long ship off the west coast of Africa on November 30. The combined forces are working together in a joint project to stop the Brazil-Africa-Europe drug trade.
The French navy boarded the vessel in international waters around 400 miles off the coast of Sierra Leone. The crew, all Brazilian nationals, were detained and the cocaine was destroyed.
National Crime Agency deputy director Tom Dowdall said: “This was a huge haul of cocaine that was stopped in transit to Europe, and it is highly likely that a proportion of it would have ended up here in the UK, fuelling violence and further criminality.”
The drugs would be worth the £300 million figure if it was all cut and sold in the UK.
The agency US Drug Enforcement Agency and Brazilian Federal Police for the initial operation. Europol authorities were also involved through the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (Narcotics) in Lisbon.
Mr Dowdall said intelligence from the agency’s international network was “vital” to the success of the operation. This includes the Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group, a global coalition of agencies working together to tackle transnational crime - with representatives from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA.
Mr Dowdall added: “Working with them we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle the international crime networks involved in this deadly trade.”
