Major Anti-Drug Operation in the Pacific: French Seize Over Two Tons of Cocaine

The French armed forces announced a giant success in the fight against international drug trafficking. Last Thursday, during a precisely planned high-seas operation, officers of the French Navy (Marine nationale) boarded a suspicious vessel. On board the ship, whose flag was initially unspecified, they found 100 packages containing a total of 2.4 tons of high-quality cocaine. The operation would not have been possible without aerial support from a Falcon Gardian aircraft, which located the target. French Polynesia, though mainly associated with tourism, is increasingly becoming an arena for criminal groups. As the High Commission (Haut-commissariat) emphasized in an official statement on February 14, 2026, the seized drugs were not intended for the local market. Smugglers use the archipelago's vast waters as a transport corridor from Latin America towards wealthy consumer markets such as New Zealand and, above all, Australia. Thanks to the recent operation, the total amount of drugs seized in this region in a short time has risen to nearly 12 tons. The Pacific drug route has gained importance in the last decade, as Australian and New Zealand authorities tightened airport controls, forcing cartels to increasingly use maritime transport via remote Pacific islands. International cooperation played a key role in this operation. The French worked closely with U.S. security agencies, enabling effective intelligence sharing. The scale of the seizure highlights the immense pressure on border protection services in this part of the world. The high retail price of cocaine in Australia, many times higher than in Europe or the U.S., makes criminals willing to take enormous risks transporting goods across thousands of kilometers of ocean. <cytat autor=