French authorities seize up to £77 million worth of cocaine from Jersey-registered vessel
ITV Channel's Emma Volney investigates...
Pictures courtesy of Armees Aux Antillies and Martinique Soir
Cocaine with a potential street value of £77 million has been seized from a Jersey-registered vessel in the Caribbean.
The ship named Maria Del Mar was around two hundred miles south of Barbados when it was stopped by French authorities.
They discovered 1,100 kilograms of the Class-A drug on board.
On Monday 26 March, Mark Temple KC, Jersey's Attorney General, was approached by French authorities who asked for permission to search the boat whilst they were carrying out anti-drugs smuggling patrols in the Caribbean.
Four people on board were arrested, three Spanish nationals and one Columbian national, and are in custody in Martinique.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the Attorney General for his prompt assistance which led to the seizure.
Mark Temple KC said: "Jersey is keen to play its part in combatting illicit drug trafficking, wherever it takes place.
"We congratulate the French authorities on this successful operation and confirm that we will continue to assist them. The drugs in this case would have done enormous damage had they reached their intended markets."