Audio By Carbonatix
Ivory Coast’s navy has seized a record amount of cocaine plastic-wrapped in small bundles bearing the tattered logos of French fashion house Louis Vuitton and Pacena Black, a dark beer from Bolivia.
The 411 kilograms of cocaine destined for the commercial capital Abidjan came from a Spanish-flagged ship that had been spotted by the navy idling 250 km (155 miles) off the coast since Jan. 30, the navy said in a statement on Wednesday.
The ship offloaded the drugs onto a smaller boat which was picked up by a special unit of the Ivorian navy on Monday at about 1830 GMT, the navy said. Five people were also taken into custody.
It was not yet clear where the cocaine originated from or who was responsible for trafficking it.
Camera footage provided by the Ivorian navy on Wednesday showed hundreds of the seized packages laid out on tables.
Major drug hauls in Ivory Coast are rare, but over the last 18 months several large cocaine seizures have been made along the West African Atlantic Coast, a frequent stopping point for South American cocaine heading to Europe. About 40 tonnes pass through the region annually, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
About 9.5 tonnes were seized in the island archipelago of Cape Verde last year in one of the biggest hauls ever. Last September, police in Guinea-Bissau seized more than 1.8 tonnes hidden in flour bags, the biggest in the country’s history.
Latest Stories
-
Ghana civil society coalition to tackle transnational crime as trafficking forum warns of rising cyber scam exploitation
5 minutes -
Asiedu Nketia urges stronger investment in research to drive Ghana’s economic transformation
33 minutes -
Court of Appeal erred in acquitting Sedina Attionu — Alfred Tuah-Yeboah
36 minutes -
REGSEC impounds 9 excavators as anti-galamsey operation intensifies in Obuasi
37 minutes -
GHS and International Sickle Cell Centre sign 5-year MoU to strengthen national response to sickle cell disease
40 minutes -
Ghana secures $35.5m housing financing as it moves to assess challenges with the sector
45 minutes -
Democracy is more than elections; it requires responsible citizens — Ibn Chambas
1 hour -
Evidence against Sedina Attionu was solid; acquittal is strange — Tuah-Yeboah
1 hour -
EU commits additional €4 million to support Ghana’s anti-human trafficking efforts
1 hour -
IJM calls for stronger collaboration to combat human trafficking as 1,200 victims rescued in 2025
1 hour -
Ghana School of Law to hold Criminal Prosecution and Litigation graduation on July 31
1 hour -
Kwaku Asante’s summary of the judgment of the Court of Appeal acquitting Sedina Tamakloe
1 hour -
Democracy is under pressure globally, Ghana must strengthen inclusion — Goosie Tanoh
2 hours -
CAL Asset Management delivers strong as economic recovery boosts investments
2 hours -
AG files urgent application to halt Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu’s acquittal pending Supreme Court appeal
2 hours