Senegal’s navy has made a significant drug seizure, confiscating over three tonnes of cocaine from a ship anchored off the coast, marking one of the country’s largest drug busts, the navy confirmed on Tuesday.
Specific details regarding the vessel, its crew, or the estimated worth of the intercepted cargo were not disclosed by authorities.
According to a post made by the navy on X (formerly Twitter), a navy patrol boat intercepted a ship approximately 150 kilometers (91 miles) off the coast of Dakar, seizing nearly 3 tonnes of pure cocaine.
A senior Senegalese military official, speaking anonymously to media, confirmed the seizure of 2.975 tonnes of cocaine, with the interception occurring overnight on Sunday.
The ship was subsequently escorted to a naval base in Dakar and arrived on Tuesday for the identification and cataloging of the confiscated products.
Despite being historically viewed as a transit zone for drugs originating from Latin America, West and Central Africa have increasingly become regions with high consumption, as reported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
According to the UN agency, between 2019 and 2022, approximately 57 tonnes of cocaine were seized in West Africa or intercepted en route to the region. Among the countries, Cape Verde accounted for 16.6 tonnes, followed by Senegal with 4.7 tonnes, and Benin with 3.9 tonnes.
This recent seizure follows Senegal’s navy capturing over 800 kilograms of cocaine from a ship off the Dakar coast in January. Additionally, in October 2022, Senegalese customs announced the seizure of 300 kilograms of cocaine, valued at nearly 37 million euros, from a refrigerated truck originating from neighboring Mali.
