The French Navy recently seized a fishing vessel in the southwestern Pacific Ocean off French Polynesia after it was found to be carrying narcotics.
The successful interception took place on Friday, January 16, after the High Commission of French Polynesia reported that a suspicious vessel was crossing its waters.
A French Navy helicopter arrived in the area and disembarked personnel onto the suspect vessel. A search eventually revealed that the vessel, which was sailing under the Togolese flag, was carrying approximately 4.87 tons of cocaine hidden in 96 bales.
French and French Polynesian authorities said that the confiscated drugs had originated in Central America and that these may have been intended for distribution in Australia.
US news outlet CBS said the vessel's crew at the time of the seizure consisted of one Honduran and ten Ecuadorian nationals.
"This record seizure is part of the new territorial plan to fight against drugs developed by the High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia," the High Commission said in a press release. "It illustrates the strategic nature of the regional cooperation conducted by France with its closest partners, in particular the United States and Australia, in the fight against drug trafficking."