French Guiana seizes more than 500 kilos of cocaine

CAYENNE: Prosecutors in France’s South American territory of Guiana said on Saturday they had seized more than half a tonne of cocaine.

Regional officials wrote on Twitter that four suspects had been arrested, three vehicles seized and 18 bags of cocaine uncovered, adding: “The struggle against drugs is a priority for the state!”

The drug was seized on Thursday evening at a port near the capital city of Cayenne, prosecutor Renaud Gaudeul told AFP.

Cocaine from Guiana accounts for between 15 percent and 20 percent of all cocaine entering mainland France, according to a parliamentary report from mid-September that recommended an intensification of seizures and controls.

Gaudeul described the territory as a hub for drug trafficking.

More than 700,000 tons of cocaine was seized in the South American region in 2018, according the UN’s drugs and crime agency. –AFP