In an operation off the coast of Sierra Leone, a Brazilian vessel carrying more than 4.6 tonnes of cocaine worth over $157.4 million was seized.
According to Europol, the ship was seized by a French Navy helicopter carrier on November 30, 2022, about 400 miles off the coast of Sierra Leone.
The NCA, US Drug Enforcement Agency, and Brazilian Federal Police collaborated to uncover and battle criminal networks involved in cocaine trafficking between Brazil, Africa, and Europe. This collaboration resulted in the operation.
According to EUROPOL, the 21-metre-long Brazilian ship where the drugs were found was sailing toward Europe when it was intercepted.
“An investigation is underway to identify the criminal groups involved on either side of the Atlantic Ocean,” Europol said in a statement.
The National Crime Agency reported that the crew, who were all citizens of Brazil, were detained and the cocaine was destroyed. Drug smugglers and sellers have recently traveled often along Sierra Leone’s coast.
At Freetown’s Queen Elizabeth II Port in July of this year, the Sierra Leone Police allegedly found a 40-foot container with cocaine inside. According to reports, the container was sent from the UK to Sierra Leone.
When a ship using the flag of Sierra Leone was stopped in Guinean waters carrying almost three tons of cocaine, authorities there held the ship. Recently, many ships were stopped in the waters off Sierra Leone for engaging in unlawful activities.