Dakar port: Senegalese customs seize 120 kg of cocaine

29 Janvier 2020

Dakar, Senegal, January 29 (Infosplusgabon) - Senegalese Customs on Tuesday at the Port Autonome de Dakar, seized 120 kg of cocaine onboard a ship, called "Grande Nigeria", a customs press release announced on Wednesday.

The operation was carried out by a team from the Joint Container and Vessel Control Unit (UMCC) of the customs subdivision of the port, assisted by elements of the forensic police and the Central Office for the Repression of Illicit Drug Trafficking (OCRTIS).

A search of the ship revealed a cache in the compartments of the ship's ventilation system in which four bags containing 30 one-kilogram cocaine tablets each were found, according to Customs.

Customs said that in June 2019, it seized 1,036 kg of cocaine hidden in vehicles on board the same vessel that was travelling from Brazil to Angola.

The crew members were questioned for the purpose of an ongoing investigation to determine the owners of the drug.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Guinea-Bissau, Gambia and Senegal have become conduits for drugs from South America to Africa and Western Europe.

The three countries signed a memorandum of understanding in June 2019 in Banjul, the Gambia, to strengthen their law enforcement cooperation and coordinate their efforts in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime.

The three countries committed to exchanging information, joint training sessions and joint patrols along their borders.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/OUP/2020

© Copyright Infosplusgabon