Marseille, France (Ports Europe) September 23, 2024 – French OFAST (L’office anti-stupéfiants, anti-narcotics office) has opened a nine-officer branch dedicated to maritime trafficking at the country’s Port of Marseille. The move follows the two seizures in August of more than 90 kg of cocaine hidden in two container shipments.
This is the second OFAST branch in a French port, following the opening of the first one in the Le Havre port, which is believed to be seriously infiltrated by South American cocaine traffickers.
51 kg of cocaine seized in Marseille port
The OFAST officers will work with the port agents on the docks and in the offices, sharing information with customs and maritime police, followed by international investigations.
The dockers in Marseille are concerned that the drug traffickers will resort to attacking them, following similar cases in Le Havre
“We are dealing with a drug that brings in the biggest profits,” police commissioner Philippe Frizon from the Interdepartmental Service of the Judicial Police (Le Service Interdépartemental de la Police Judiciaire – SIPJ).
“Criminal organisations are interested in the port because, given the level of maritime freight, it is impossible to control all the containers that pass through. Our local traffickers tended to go to Paris or Brussels to buy their cocaine,” he added.
More Ports Europe news related to drugs in ports
Copyright (C) Ports Europe. All Rights Reserved. 2024.
[email protected]
