Two Smugglers Attempt to Put Fire on Sailboat as Authorities Approach

A significant narcotics operation conducted on the night of May 23-24 led to the seizure of 406 kg of cocaine in the Bay of Biscay.

The operation, led by the French authorities, saw the French Customs patrol vessel Kermorvan, based in Brest, intercept a Polish-flagged sailing vessel.

The French National Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigations (DNRED) initiated the detection of the vessel in the Caribbean and tracked it into the Bay of Biscay, in collaboration with OFAST, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Spanish National Police, with coordination through MAOC (N).

In the early evening of May 23 the crew of the patrol vessel Kermorvan carried out a check on the vessel, as it is stated in a press release.

The two crew members of the vessel, after attempting to destroy the vessel and its cargo by setting it on fire, were rescued by the Kermorvan crew.

The nationality of the people arrested is being verified. The drugs, found in 19 bales aboard the vessel, were handed over to OFAST under the authority of the Public Prosecutor at the Brest Judicial Court, supported by the Atlantic Maritime Gendarmerie Group.