PARIS (Reuters) – French authorities seized 10 tonnes of cocaine in the port of Dunkirk over the weekend, a source in the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.
French media reported that the haul was the biggest-ever in metropolitan France, corresponding to nearly a fifth of all cocaine seized last year. The prosecutor declined to comment on this and gave no further details.
French media Actu 17 reported that the drugs were hidden in containers and have an estimated market value of about 320 million euros ($339 million). Local daily La Voix du Nord reported that the shipment originated in South America.
In February, the interior ministry said 53.5 tonnes of cocaine had been seized in France in 2024, a 130% increase on the 23.2 tonnes seized in 2023.
Cannabis seizures in France fell by 19% to 101 tonnes in 2024, from 124.7 tonnes in 2023, interior ministry data show.
Cocaine, after cannabis, is the second-most commonly used illicit drug in Europe, according to European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA).
In 2022, EU member states reported 84,000 cocaine seizures, amounting to 323 tonnes – a record for a sixth year – and up from 303 tonnes in 2021, according to the EUDA 2024 report
Three European countries made up 68% of the total quantity seized: Belgium with 111 tonnes, the Netherlands with 51.5 tonnes and Spain with 58.3 tonnes, reflecting their importance as entry points for cocaine trafficked to Europe.
($1 = 0.9446 euros)
(Reporting by Nicolas Delame and Geert De Clercq; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
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