The Cape Verdean police announced that they had seized with the help of U.S. agents more than five tons of cocaine on board a fishing boat from Brazil, as well as the arrest of five Brazilians and two Montenegrins.
In January 2019, 9,570 kilograms of cocaine had been discovered in the port of the capital Praia on board a Panamanian-flagged vessel that had left South America for Morocco with a Russian crew.
The West African coast is known to be a major transit route for cocaine from Latin America to Europe. Cape Verde is vulnerable because of its geography and the extent of the waters to be monitored with limited means. This time, 5,668 kilos of cocaine were intercepted at sea.
“The operation took place on April 1, after an approach on the high seas on suspicion of international drug trafficking,” explained Wednesday evening before journalists the director of the Cape Verdean Judicial Police, Ricardo Gonçalves. “Under the jurisdiction of the Cape Verdean authorities, the police of the United States of America and Cape Verde embarked, inspected the fishing boat and proceeded to the seizure of 5,668 kilos of cocaine,” he added.
In addition to the Cape Verdean services, the operation involved the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the U.S. Navy, the Brazilian Federal Police and the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom, he said.
