The French navy has seized nearly 10 tonnes of cocaine, worth $610m (£540m) off the coast of West Africa, French authorities have said.
Two French naval vessels operating as part of Operation Corymbe intercepted the enormous cocaine haul from an unflagged fishing vessel on Monday, acting on a tip-off from maritime intelligence, anti-drug authorities and the British National Crime Agency.
The Corymbe naval mission has been deployed by France in the Gulf of Guinea since 1990 to ensure security in an area where piracy is fairly common.
9.6 tonnes of cocaine has been intercepted by two French ships, the French navy stated.
It added that 54 tonnes of drugs had been intercepted in the area since the beginning of the year.
France's Atlantic Maritime Prefecture highlighted the importance of seamless cooperation by national and international actors in the fight against narcotics, leading to this significant seizure.
The Gulf of Guinea has recently seen an uptick in drug busts, as it serves as a critical transit point for cocaine from South America heading to Europe.
This region was once regarded as the most perilous area for maritime piracy globally, surpassing the waters off Somalia, prompting several Western nations to deploy ships to counter piracy efforts.
A record seizure of 10.7 tonnes of cocaine had previously been achieved by the French navy in March last year, which was the largest interception of the illegal drug trade off West Africa.
