Suspected trafficking: more than a tonne of cannabis linked to Mauritius, seven sailors arrested
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Defimedia
Mauritius’s anti-drug brigade is investigating two suspected maritime cannabis deliveries totalling just over one tonne between Thailand and Mauritius. Seven crew members were arrested after a Thai boat was searched off Baie-du-Tombeau on 23 October, and are provisionally charged with conspiring to import dangerous drugs, Defimedia reports.
Seven crew members of a Thai boat have been arrested in Mauritius as part of an investigation into two suspected cannabis deliveries totalling more than one tonne. They face a provisional charge of conspiring to import dangerous drugs before the Port Louis court, Defimedia reports.
The investigation by the Anti Drug and Smuggling Unit (ADSU) and the Coast Guard’s Maritime Intelligence Cell began after the vessel allegedly arrived on the night of 19 to 20 October. The boat was searched off Baie-du-Tombeau on 23 October. Investigators seized around 2.7 million euros and Thai baht, noted irregularities in the crew register and found photographs on phones of bags suspected of containing cannabis.
An eighth suspect was arrested on Tuesday 27 October at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Plaisance as he was about to leave the country. ADSU is seeking to identify any local contacts who may have received or distributed the drugs. A request for mutual legal assistance to Thailand may be considered.
During operations in several parts of the island late last week, ADSU also seized a package containing just under one kilogram of cannabis said to be of Thai origin. Investigators are trying to establish when it arrived in Mauritius and whether it is linked to the two suspected deliveries.
