Follow us on:

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube

Archive - Archive 2004 - July 2013

Major drug dealers targeted -. Boat with suspected drugs consignment and military assault rifle seized |10 December 2012

In a communiqué, the NDEA said the latest operation it has undertaken was a result of a prolonged intelligence gathering operation, culminating in an undertaking to counter the delivery of a major consignment of drugs to Seychelles, and the subsequent seizure of what may be the largest ever seizure at sea of drugs in Seychelles.

The latest stage in the current operation unfolded just after dawn on Friday December 7, 2012 as the NDEA’s boat – Interceptor – and its crew had reached some 400 miles south of Mahe.

The communiqué adds that a suspect boat was identified in the waters sailing in northerly direction towards Mahe. The boat was boarded and its crew of seven overpowered. Following a search of the boat a huge consignment of suspected drugs, believed to be cannabis, was uncovered.
 Also discovered during the search was a high powered military assault rifle.
The boat and its crew were being escorted by the NDEA Interceptor to Mahe and are due to arrive in Mahe early this week.

The NDEA communiqué writes that preliminary investigations indicate that the boat is registered to a local man who has a number of substantial business interests both in Seychelles and overseas.

The NDEA has launched a major investigation into this discovery. The investigation will focus on the origin of the drugs, in addition to identifying all those involved in its attempted importation. The NDEA will now focus on ensuring that all the necessary forensic examinations and tests, that are a necessary element of an investigation such as this, will be carried out on arrival of the boat in Mahe.

This is the second significant discovery of drugs linked to big business in the past six weeks. On October 26, a prominent business man was arrested and has since been charged before the courts in connection with the importation of a large quantity of heroin.

» Back to Archive